


A Step Closer

by Xenien



Category: Angel Beats!
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 68,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27975162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xenien/pseuds/Xenien
Summary: When you can't defeat an obstacle, do you repeat the same solution over and over again? Or do you find a different solution? When they decide to repeat history, they shackle the one person who led them out. When selfishness and selflessness combine, a price will have to be paid.
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I just wanted to quickly say thank you for reading one of my newest projects, A Step Closer! If you decided to read this, all I ask of you is that you please review this story, and if you really like it, please give it a favorite and a follow. You, the reader, are the ones driving this story.
> 
> Other than that, there is a wiki for this story in case you want more in-depth lore. The link is below, but I highly suggest reading through every chapter before opening the Wiki. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Stay safe as always.
> 
> https://angel-beats-a-step-closer.fandom.com/f

_In..._

_And._

_Out._

The breaths he inhaled and exhaled came labored each time. His right leg endlessly bounced up and down with no mental restraint to hide his nervousness. Staring forward, Otonashi contemplated leaving, disregarding his current situation. However, he complies with his inner self, wanting to take full responsibility of what caused him to be there in the first place.

Silence fills the room he is in once again, before being interrupted by muffled voices that originated past the wall he leaned against.

The decision they decide to make will ultimately decide whether or not his life-defined goal shall continue or not.

The sound of clicking to his left makes Otonashi stop his leg movements and he looks toward the direction of the sound. The door was being unlocked, and it was opened gracefully. Someone walked outside the door and faced him.

"Dr. Otonashi, you may come in now," A figure in white said in a neutral tone.

Otonashi simply nods, standing up with a purpose. Taking one more deep breath in and out, he walks toward the door with the figure who promptly moves out of his way.

Stepping in the room, he hears the taps of his footsteps echo back at him. In front of him were a variety of figures in business attire that were all standing. The assortment of dark colors the figures wore pierced the saturation of the room his eyes viewed. A white gradient typical in hospital settings met with seemingly high-ranked personnel.

Viewing the positions of these various people, they all were behind a semi-circle shaped table with their chairs beside them. In front of Otonashi was one rectangular table with one chair. All the tables have one microphone protruding off to the side. Clearly, it was set up for this specific situation: the analysis of his character and morals, and whether or not the actions that warranted this meeting were justified or not. Otonashi walked up beside the chair and bowed down in respect. The figures did not return the bow, instead stared at the nervous doctor with blank looks.

"Doctor Otonashi, for the sake of this internal investigation and the official questioning of your values, actions, and intentions, we fully expect the truth and nothing but the truth."

"..."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand," Otonashi replied carefully, taking one more deep breath.

All the figures finally bowed down to Otonashi. A couple of seconds pass, and everyone including Otonashi picks themselves back up again, before seating themselves and scooting in their chairs, the sound of the vibrations between the chairs and the waxed floor overtaking.

"For the record, please state your full name and position," The chair requested. As he finished speaking, the sounds of clacking from a recorder in the room continued before ceasing, awaiting a response.

"My name is Yuzuru Otonashi, and I am a cardiologist at the XTE Medical Center."

"Otonashi, for we are not in court, everything said here is only for the matter and purposes of the internal investigation that is to be conducted until appropriate action is taken. Whether or not this information is relayed later to the justice system is reliant on the findings or the final verdict given by the board of the directors, which may be decided at anytime. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Otonashi replied with a simple nod.

"May the truth set you free."

The man opened his mouth and the line of questions came.

Question and response. That's all there is to it.

The answers were the easiest thing to process and speak, yet it only tore Otonashi. With words being just a form of communication from one party to another, the injuries Otonashi sustained from the line of questioning damaged his ability to process what he had done. His crime was heinous, deliberately going against the moral value he swore to commit to when he left the afterlife.

It was all he could think about, for nothing else mattered. He's already forsaken his ability to think about anything else.

A tear formed and dropped out of Otonashi's right eye.

The evaluation of his life came back to his mind. His purpose in life.

"Let this be the end of the first session. Let's adjourn and reconvene in five minutes," The chair stated. He looked at the recorder and nodded before standing up. The rest of the board followed suit, some of the men adjusting their ties or suits while some of the women adjust their skirts or dresses. They all passed by the stoic Otonashi, leaving the room through the only door available.

For the rest of the five minutes, Otonashi sat there in the middle of the room before being met by the board of directors once again taking their seats one by one in random order. He didn't bother to look up.

"Shall we continue?"

 _No more._ His internal voice cried out. Not even the red-haired man to whom was the internal voice heard him, otherwise, this interrogation would've halted.

While the truth set him free from the afterlife, it didn't set him free from the consequences of his actions.

Yet, there were none.

* * *

Otonashi sat outside the hospital on a nearby bench with his arms resting on his knees and his hands to his eyes. His mind was unable to process the events that occurred in his interrogation.

_"Doctor Otonashi, the board of directors has determined that based upon your testimony, actions, and the given evidence, you are to be cleared of any wrongdoing and malpractice."_

He attempted to make a collection of the various possibilities that could've led to this happening. It couldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened.

The events that unfolded before him just a few minutes ago were near impossible to grasp. However, the line of thinking soon was gone.

He opened his blurry eyes to the world and reached into his pocket, pulling out an extremely worn-down folded piece of paper. The crime committed was in his very pocket. Otonashi needed a reminder of why he existed in this world.

He unfolded the paper. Crease marks and degraded portions of it stuck out tremendously with the ink that was already present bleeding in various random directions. He read the top line, then read the name below it. Gripping the paper, his face squinted as agony reached his heart. His hands returned to his face. He forced himself not to wail as tears began to leak out of his eyes once more, some of them dropping onto the paper.

**Do Not Resuscitate**

**Patient's Name: Hatsune Otonashi**

* * *

He fully understood the way he lived before his death, and his revival was just as easy. He confirmed what he wanted to do in the afterlife, finally having the chance to move on and do what wasn't possible before.

Otonashi didn't understand the little changes in his life that he never thought about before, and that he was released from all wrongdoing at the hospital was the final straw. He connected the dots, corroborated every single event that occurred when he lived his new life. From getting treated to coffee, being let through lines of people, to receiving priority for his online orders and customer support. He believed it to be the redemption from helping everyone move on in the afterlife, but that was farfetched of an idea that God would despise.

It could have been luck, good fortune, a blessing perhaps. He still didn't know.

Standing upon a small group of people mostly consisting of familiar relatives, fresh raindrops trickled from the sky as he watched the coffin of his sister get slowly lowered. He contemplated the consequences of his actions, now in a more clear mindset than his emotionally affected one. Prison was definitely not out of the question and may have been the only option available to him for the price.

It didn't seem so bad at the time to his interpretation and may have well been fully deserved. The board of directors thought otherwise.

Either way, Hatsune's body would still be lying in the ground.

Otonashi admitted to himself that he was quite arrogant, and wondered if that made him a good person, or a good doctor. He didn't know the answer if it was worth it or not. Truth be told, she would have died either way in the same fashion and only complicated things for himself.

His calm self left his body and the emotions came flooding back in. The strong brother he wanted to be wasn't possible as his tears fell alongside the raindrops. Sniffling, he put his hand to his face as if he was ashamed to show anyone his state or to see anyone. He failed as a brother and he failed as a doctor. Her death happened all over again, this time it was now on his hands. Any chance of her revival once beyond her critical stage only killed her again, and the responsibility laid upon Otonashi.

One by one, the relatives left the burial site. With his mom giving him the final shoulder rub, she left. Only the grave digger remained.

Recalling the memories with Hatsune, he was able to push his dream without her realizing it. She didn't understand that she died twice as if the first time was a wake-up call. The second time, Otonashi was unable to interpret her death as he was too focused on it being his fault. He couldn't find her a donor, he couldn't save her despite studying and working at the earliest available opportunities. The time spent going through the entrance exam, medical school, and finally becoming a medical resident felt to him as if it had all gone to waste.

Discovering his purpose in the afterlife and now just standing in front of her grave, it's as if he lost the battle in the end.

"I'm sorry," a mysterious feminine voice said behind him. The voice was all too familiar. Calm, collected, and cold. The pain-struck Otonashi barely reacted, only releasing his face from his wet hands. Recomposing himself to face the figure, he turns to face the mysterious woman.

The girl he fell for once. Her lowered expression made it hard to identify whether or not the statement was heartfelt. The memories of the afterlife, specifically the moments they shared came flooding back. It overshadowed any thoughts of reminiscing or reuniting with her. Catching up was out of the question. He had a more important question to ask given the development of circumstances, but he couldn't bother.

The thought hung on as Otonashi stayed motionless, still staring at the familiar girl with his puffy dead eyes. His observations revealed her in a formal black dress, yet her hair was arranged like it was before, adorned with the familiar green-yellow ribbon.

She turns around and walks off, not giving a look back toward Otonashi. Her figure faded as she got deeper into the storm. He didn't have the motivation to follow or chase her.

* * *

As days turn into weeks, the rain slowly trickled away and the blue sky appeared as Otonashi processed the events. Naturally, he was given time off from his job under the assumption he will return as soon as possible. In face of the odds and the need to keep living on, he still hasn't returned. Doubts were sowed in his mind about whether or not returning to the hospital was a good idea. Whether or not they would let him back into the same status as a cardiologist and if he would be capable of handling it right now were the questions he didn't have the answers to.

"I don't know what to do," he spoke up expecting someone to hear him. Naturally, silence followed. He put his head down, crawled back to bed, went back to sleep. That feeling of grief was new for him, feeling so low and so lost. However, his energy returned over time. He was able to get up in the morning, cook for himself, get up in the morning, mindlessly browse the internet on his laptop, but rarely left the house.

In the corner of his eye, he spots an advertisement directed to finding medical jobs all across Japan. He squinted his eyes, not believing it.

He refreshed the page, and the same advertisement was there.

He moved to a different website, and a different advertisement popped up but was still medical job-related.

"This is cruel." He slammed the laptop shut, not wanting to open it again.

He crawled back to bed once more, feeling dejected.

The advertisement disappeared shortly from the webpage as if the code for displaying as if it just vanished.


	2. Resignation

Otonashi propelled himself upward, awaking himself from his sleeping state. Inhaling and exhaling heavily at a rapid pace, he clutched his chest with his right hand. The pulsations of his accelerated heartbeat were felt throughout his entire torso and confirmed by his fist.

"Tch..." He restricts his breathing to shallow breaths before gradually switching his method to deep breathes in an attempt to control his breathing.

After a minute, his heart rate slowed down significantly, regaining control as minor dizziness sets in. He moves himself to the edge of his bed with his feet flat on the floor, his elbows on his knees, and his hands covering his face. Otonashi's eyes, although closed, move on their own as if they are no longer under his control. He releases his hands off his face and takes a deep breath. Shaking his head, he opens his eyes.

The slight irritation of waking up makes his eyes tear up involuntarily. Met with the familiar sight of his room, he immediately recalls what occurred before he went to bed. Slowly and groggily, he gets himself out of bed and proceeds to walk toward his desk, and sits down in front of his laptop once more and sits in front of it, unsure of his next actions.

He opens the laptop with hesitation; the screen still black as it starts to power on. As the screen turns on, the white light blinds Otonashi, the previous page he visited visible once again. Out the corner of his eye was a missing detail that he noticed instantly.

_That advertisement._

The doctor wipes his eyes, hesitant if it's just his eyes playing tricks on him. The advertisement was no longer there. He was sure that the page didn't refresh since the laptop itself was asleep. He double-checked the visible number alongside his ad blocker, which usually indicated the number of ads blocked for the current session. The number remained the same from his original browsing session.

_...!_

His mind quickly processed that the ad blocker should have blocked the medical advertisement before. What occurred was too big of a coincidence.

Then it all made sense.

All the little things in his life that he regarded as luck, being cleared of malpractice and the advertisement for medical-related jobs were not just of luck, circumstances, or coincidence.

Someone was monitoring him, going to unnecessary extents to make his life easier in any shape or form, though he didn't complain.

However, he had to be sure. This sort of accusation was not one to take lightly, nor should it be misunderstood. His analysis of the situation highlighted two important points: that they have plenty of resources, at least within Japan, and they can extend to the top of one or many organization's hierarchies.

With no clue how to bring out this mysterious organization or discover its power in a way he would prefer, his options lie in the hospital that he took a break from.

Looking quickly outside to get a glimpse of the weather, he slipped on a black hoodie and a pair of jeans. Grabbing his keys and phone, he slipped them into his pockets before walking up to his door, quickly putting on his shoes.

He pulled the hood over his head and stared straight ahead, trying to see himself in an imaginary mirror. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sound of heavy raindrops hit the surrounding area to fill the lack of sound. Twisting the door handle, he opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door to his home and locking it. He placed both his hands in his pockets before walking off in the direction of the hospital.

The rain was unforgiving. Otonashi had to pull the bit of his hoodie more to cover his head, his bangs absorbing the rain with raindrops dripping down his face. Thankfully only his hood and shoulders bore the brunt of the downpour.

He observed all the moving components of the lifesaving center's main entrance, from patients walking out from a visit to whitecoats quickly moving to their unknown destinations. A lone security officer with a green reflective vest stood off to the side with his hands behind his back, quietly observing passersby in the same manner Otonashi was.

His eyes laid upon the recognizable Otonashi. The guard's facial features showed concern as he removed himself from his position and approached him.

"Doctor Otonashi."

Otonashi looked towards the security officer, his eyes lighting up a bit, and flashed him a small smile.

"Yo." He raised his hand before returning it to his hoodie's pocket.

"Haven't seen you for quite some time now."

"Yeah..." Otonashi replied dully.

"I asked around a bit ago, and they said you were taking some time off."

He only nodded in response. The security guard visibly turned his head at his lackluster responses before slightly smiling and exhaling deeply.

"I apologize. I shouldn't be digging into what's been going on." The guard bowed to Otonashi before standing back up again.

"While I don't want to waste your time, and I would love to have a chat, I have a feeling you'll be gone for a long time." The guard sticks his hand out.

"Am I right?"

Otonashi replies with a huff and a nod, accepting the guard's warm handshake.

"I wish you the best of luck."

Otonashi lets go of the guard's hand, simply sticking his hand back into his hoodie's pocket once more before walking past the guard, the automatic doors opening with a slide. The resounding squeak of his shoes echoed through the hospital's first floor as Otonashi's shoes meet the smooth hospital floor. Staying on the first floor, he headed to medical administration offices.

* * *

The squeaks stopped as the floor under him changed to the carpet. He was in the right place. The receptionist at the desk recognized him in a flash and greeted him, but apathetically fulfilled his request. Otonashi took a seat nearby while the receptionist checked to see if his boss was available. She passed the information over that she will be with him shortly. A shadow formed on the seat under Otonashi from the moisture of his clothes seeping onto it.

A door beside the reception desk caught Otonashi's attention as it opened slightly. A black-haired white coat looked around before making eye contact with the cardiologist. She stood in front of the now ajar door, coaxing him to come inside. She opened the door wider, standing in front of it to prevent it from automatically closing. The white coat followed him as he made his way inside, the door closing behind them.

Unknown to Otonashi, a dark blue-haired individual with glasses approached the receptionist's desk. He began to initiate a conversation with the receptionist, pushing up his glasses before opening his mouth.

Otonashi sat in front of his soon to be former boss, keeping his mouth closed with his hands flat on his thighs as he gets berated.

"The answer is no doctor."

"I understand the situation with the medical board, and I'm sorry for what happened to Hatsune. I would accept your resignation in a heartbeat because of what you're going through, but you need to put in your month notice. You understand?"

"I know you understand, but let me reiterate once more for both our sakes: You can't just quit and expect everything to be alright."

"You can't get a final check. You can get sued by the medical board themselves for not performing your duties in the month that you are given after you submit the notice, and you're preventing patients from receiving care."

"The oath we took...I'm not one to talk about that. To protect the lives of those in our care and to give our patients the best chance we could."

She walked around the table, going beside the quiet doctor and putting her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I want the best for you, but you need to understand you're only putting others at more risk. The staff still need you. If I can't convince you, don't do it 'cause I said you should."

Biting her tongue, she removed the clip from her hair that held it in a bun, and it fell freely on her shoulders, before kneeling beside the doctor and placing her hand on top of his. She stared directly into his eyes in a pleading manner.

"Tatenashi..." Otonashi looked at her in the eyes, his own reflection staring back at him.

"..." She sighed, hesitant to open her mouth. Unwilling to take the initiative but having no choice, she opens her mouth.

"Hatsune," she says with regret.

He froze, awaiting the dreaded words he knew were going to come out of her mouth.

"I don't think she wants this."

A sharp intake of air originates from Otonashi. He stands up suddenly, removing Tatenashi's gentle hand as his hands naturally return to his sides. Adrenaline kicked his body into another gear. His fists tightened to an extreme, shaking.

Tatenashi flinched slightly, awed by the very anger present within the cardiologist. Goosebumps formed on her skin as she slowly lifted herself off the ground before placing herself back on her seat and hands folded together on the table while still staring at him.

A few seconds pass for what seems like minutes before Otonashi releases his clenched fists, although he was still visibly upset by the mention of his late sister.

Otonashi never liked directly dealing with his emotions, and hearing it from someone he considered a casual acquaintance was unbearable. Their lack of understanding was something to scoff at. He knows the truth of the afterlife compared to personal interpretations, and he understands the truth of life. Yet those who claim to understand were merely short of what they know in reality.

It was sickening, and he couldn't blame them. This curse of knowing when others don't; berating them is nothing short of arrogance. He refused to lay a hand on anyone who didn't deserve it. His boss didn't deserve what could have been the consequences of mentioning someone so close and dear to him.

He didn't want to hear his mistake again. Ignorance is bliss, and he was better off, not knowing the consequences of his actions.

He turned around and opened the door, leaving Tatenashi's office with her, simply watching him leave. He opened the door that led back to the general waiting area, where his eyes lowered. The dark blue-haired man pushed his glasses up once viewing the distraught Otonashi walk past him. Eyeing the door he exited from, he caught a glimpse of the person he just talked to.

* * *

A day has passed. The sound of a phone echoed throughout Otonashi's living room. It rings, expecting to be answered, before stopping. A voicemail cuts through the air on the speaker.

"Doctor, it's Tatenashi. Uhhhh...you've been cleared from working at the hospital. A woman named Saya from the financial division is going to send you an email regarding the status of your final check."

A long pause takes place as if she ended the call, but the voicemail was still recording. Her voice cuts through the air once more.

"Please take care of yourself, Yuzuru...I worry about you...and...I'm sorry. You have my number."

The recording finally stops.

A ping cut through the silence as his phone awakened—an email with the details of his final pay.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of wood pierces through the still air. Otonashi's door opens, and a girl with short cyan hair comes in, a bag in her right hand. Looking past her, the ground continued to be pelt by a steady stream of raindrops. The long period of rain fits the cardiologist's prolonged despair. She carefully closed the door with her left hand, blocking all the sounds from the outside. The downpour continued reflecting his despair.

She gazes around the room, spotting her former teacher lying on the couch. He was asleep on his side with his phone on the table just across from him with small dark spots on his hoodie.

 _It looks like he's gone out recently. Even left the door unlocked—what a helpless_ _guy._

She shakes her head at him, setting the bag down on the table. Metal clinks emanated from the bag as she reached into the bag, pulling out two different cans. Having both drinks in her hands, she moved towards Otonashi's face. Kneeling in front of him, she placed the bottom portion of the can on his cheek, taking some time to find out how tired he was.

Otonashi's eyes open slowly. The girl pulls the can away, simply smiling at Otonashi.

"Good evening, senpai."

"Mmm," Otonashi mumbled, slowly closing his eyes. A frown appeared on the girl's face as she put one of the cans on the floor.

Smack!

Otonashi jolts up quickly, putting his hand to his face. Irritated at the girl, she smiles at him again as she offers the can. The doctor grumbled, grabbing the can and putting it on his left cheek, letting the cold contents of the can heal where the girl's hand met his face.

"Good evening, senpai," she repeats.

"Grrr...Good evening to you too," he replied with a disapproving glare.

"I wanted to see you before work tonight," she stated.

"What is there to see?"

He looked at her questioningly, genuinely looking for a response.

"Well, I wanted to see you because of a lot of things. For one, convincing a hospital to let you go immediately. Not anyone can just do that scot-free, even with **your** circumstances. In an industry dominated by women, that's even more surprising."

No retorts arose from Otonashi.

"Actually, that's all I can think of," she ends, walking to a chair across from Otonashi. Taking a seat, she pops open the can and takes a sip.

"Oh, you also taught me a lot while I was a brand new resident. I also think you're an interesting guy."

Otonashi tilts his head, looking for her to elaborate. She shakes her head.

"Not in a bad way. You're unique is all."

"I appreciate that."

"For a person who had a lot of energy, you're not the best at carrying a conversation," she scolded, taking one more sip before sighing.

"You won't tell me what's really going on, will you?"

"..."

"I can't imagine this will make things any easier, but this is all I could do," she motions to her drink.

The silence usurped the room once more.

"It's been rough, hasn't it?"

Otonashi took his time to answer that question. Although afraid, he slowly nods. She motions to her drink once more. He nods, opening the top of his drink before sticking out the drink in his hand. She smiles, clinking her drink against his before they both simultaneously take a sip.

He notes the relatively bitter taste in his drink.

_This is..._

He stops before taking a moment to inspect the branding. The brown labeling shows the type of coffee and what brand it belonged to. He recognizes the coffee brand and looked towards her, who was staring back at him. She nods, stands up, finishes her drink, and crushes the can, disposing of it into the bag she brought with her.

She makes her way to the door, pausing before turning her head back at him.

"I tried too...you know...Convince her not to sign it..."

"..."

"...We'll miss you. However, I hope...to see you around." She gives a two-finger salute before stepping outside, leaving Otonashi alone once more.

He checks his phone, seeing the email he had received regarding his finances. His little experiment was over, and the conclusion was confirmed. He pondered, wondering why his student decided to visit him. Even though it all makes sense from her perspective, the fact that she brought over this deja vu inducing coffee left him to wonder whether or not the visit was orchestrated.

He gulped down the rest of the bitter-tasting liquid, setting down an empty can of Key Coffee on his table.

Perhaps it was time to contact this mysterious organization.


	3. Acceptance

Throughout Otonashi's entire life, he always had more questions than answers. While that line of thinking is typical in normal human life, he didn't consider his life normal. He doesn't know what constitutes living a normal human life. Being a realistic thinker, the cardiologist always figured that the world would turn into nothingness at the end of a human lifespan. That very thought would send a chill up his spine and raise goosebumps, for he doesn't know how to interpret nothingness. Was it black? Was nothingness even a color? One can't interpret nothingness because they wouldn't be alive to bother.

Each day he lived was another one counted down, and the pity he felt for himself only grew. The list of synonyms that would describe him as boring, deadbeat, tired, and others of similar taste went on and on. He lived, continuing to prolong such a shameful life. While the thought of leaving it all behind was soothing, he had his sister to keep him from taking it one step further. At least, before he lost her all over again, then it just became silent torture to which he bore.

The days that have become more lifeless and dull ticked on, for they held no more meaning to it. At the end of each day, one may question their very existence and easily find the answer to it. Even the bliss of not finding one was tolerable for most. All of his actions before Hatsune's death...Otonashi questioned the worth behind it all. Even after his supposed revival, he was glad to be able to hold his sister once more. With his memories retained, he had a conflict of completion. His final wish was to grant Hatsune's wish, and he would have died happy. He did die happy, and yet the familiar smile and hope she emanated whenever he visited her were all there. His logical thoughts didn't cease. Rather it plagued him, the thought of trying to solve the problem of reality. It was always at the back of his consciousness, and there was never a time where he didn't think about it.

That was alright. Just seeing Hatsune was more than enough for him.

His arrival into the afterlife continued the repetition of questions and answers. Not knowing the world, what it meant, who created it, its purpose, who hosted it, who God was, and what led the doctor up to this point. Was it fate, perhaps? Did destiny decide for his suffering and revival?

There was always a person in the afterlife who always gave him the straight up no bullshit answers. The pinpoint instincts and hunches weren't something to joke about. The physical and mental abilities of this particular girl far surpassed most of the afterlife battlefront members. This girl was able to turn the tides of a battle while at the same time giving out a heartfelt smile.

Yuri Nakamura.

While there are some hidden truths and lies in that statement, the answers were the best that one could answer with anyways. However, those straight up, no bullshit answers always had that connotation of truthfulness.

The capability of remaining calm.

The intelligence of a leader.

The skill of a fighter.

Her outstanding traits put her on a pedestal she deserved. For the well-being of Otonashi, she was a godsend. Someone had to have the answers. Though her answers, while they lived within the afterlife, left much to be desired. Despite that much, they were still comprehendible answers nonetheless.

Maybe she can answer as to why an unknown organization that she led was keeping tabs on him.

"I think I'd like to see you all once again," Otonashi declared. With his phone still gripped in his hand, he eyed the familiar can of Key Coffee and now brought up an interesting point to himself: No one really knew his favorite drink. While it was still possible that it could have just been one hell of a coincidence, the timing was too perfect, almost to the point where it felt arranged. It wasn't outside the realm of infinite possibilities. Throughout his time in his medical residency and his eventual yet arbitrary completion of studies, he's formed relationships with his fellow peers, senior and junior medical residents, and the occasional but rare a non-work person. It was a given most of these relationships were female based as the work appealed to them. In his attempts to make friends, he's never really made a true attempt to make the first move. Typically, the other party had the first contact with him, usually on the grounds of asking for help, either regarding something relating to his course of study or offering to help with even minor things.

The suspicions were there that the organization meddled in his life, but Otonashi never commented on it.

That took a big number on his self-esteem. While being endlessly guided by force in the dark can be scary, being babied by that exact thing is somewhat upsetting to his masculinity. Otonashi never really held the concept of pride as a man, but being given every available convenience was on the same level as being spoiled. One can argue that he's suffered, and therefore it wouldn't apply, but he always liked working to achieve his goal. It had meaning in the end.

Under the assumption of being monitored, he thought at the very least someone would be knocking on his door by now. Maybe they have an internal conflict, or maybe it wasn't his decision to meet up with this organization at this very moment. He did make it clear that he was okay with it if they wanted to attempt contact.

The doctor placed his phone back down on the table, holding onto an expectation. He could change once again and find the answers to what he's looking for. So far, _his_ purpose no longer holds meaning.

However, it shouldn't impede his ability to be productive. Despite the heartache he suffered, he has rested long enough. He has no one to thank, but Hatsune for kicking him back up. She was the reason he lived.

Otonashi lifts himself off the couch, the familiar squeak of the leather breaking the silence of his desolate place. Just a few moments ago, one of his students left in the rain. The awful weather didn't help his mood, especially of this length.

_I wonder when the sky will clear up._

With his various body parts feeling constricted, he automatically began outstretching his arms and legs; the amazing euphoria his mind received has never felt so good. Taking one deep breath, he walked over to his open room with the intent of grabbing his laptop. Still closed, he picks it up and brings it over to the living room, sitting back in his original seat and placing the laptop down beside the empty can of coffee. Opening the laptop, his expectations of the screen lighting up were met with failure.

_Hm._

He presses the power button. A satisfying click and the laptop screen turned on.

The login screen popped up, and he input his password, being authorized and met with his desktop screen. He decided to pull up his email to review the status of his check. He slightly recalls the voicemail he received, but he was fairly certain that he would receive an email. An organizational body, like a hospital, needed to have some sort of paperwork to go with any actions they conduct no matter what division. As the screen popped up, the details behind his check became clear.

_My check looks like it'll come in the next couple of days._

He sighed in relief at how quickly his money will arrive. Being a cardiologist paid relatively well, and he never really sought after the rich lifestyle, therefore earning him a large savings account and a decent amount of stocks. The position of being a doctor in the same hospital as Hatsune had its clear benefits. However, it still effectively cut his six-figure savings in half, and it continued to decline exponentially as each day passed in the hospital, and Hatsune's condition deteriorated.

Under the expectations that his life will continue to change, no matter what light, his savings account will become more useful than ever. With his only dream gone, the money can now be directed to something else. Pulling up a computer notepad, he lays down all the options, typing rapidly as each expense, both current and possibly future, came to his mind. Selling items and his house contributed to the growing list.

Mortgage, health insurance, food, telephone, internet, gas, motorcycle, maintenance.

As the list continued with Otonashi writing down possible cost estimations beside each concern, he sensed something warm going down the right side of his head. The warm feeling continued to trail down his face, leaving a rapidly cooling path. As the list grew, all the different possibilities of gaining and losing money became clearer, with the total oscillating between a loss and a gain in value.

Otonashi faced the struggle of meeting something extremely unordinary, and while he considered his job a cost to finding out information, it wasn't in the back of his mind. His current situation would've resulted in a positive net value had he chosen not to leave the hospital. His ability to predict the future was not the best, and he's proven as such unless there is a near one hundred percent certainty. That near one hundred percent certainty needed to be backed by facts and information. It can be considered an obsession, but it was years of sticking by the medical code, "When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras." The code even applied when he first arrived in the afterlife and meeting Yuri for the first time. Such nefarious circumstances would've had people go crazy in the same fashion, especially with the ridiculous and upfront method on how the battlefront recruited their members.

In defense of his friends, explaining to someone they died and then they can suddenly can't anymore in an unknown world? That would sound outrageous no matter what order of words or connotations is used. As he continued to work on his plan for the unpredictable future, night approached, and the heavy rain sounds steadily decreased in volume. His body's fatigue notified him that it's time to get some rest and prepare for the next day, to which he obliged. He simply closed the computer screen, forcing it to sleep with him, and he lay on the couch, facing upward with his hands wrapped together on his chest. He stared briefly at the ceiling, thinking of nothing before the emptiness started approaching his mind. The tiresome thinking of planning set his mind into hibernation, and he drifted off peacefully.

After what felt like an eternity, Otonashi's eyes registered the color red as he lay on his side. A shining ray of light broke through the living room windows, and the ray aimed directly toward Otonashi's eyes. While the gradual change of ambient light didn't bother him, the prolonged time of light directly on top of his eyes caused discomfort. The restlessness kicked in, and his rude yet slow awakening disturbed with his inability to fall back asleep once more. Otonashi flipped himself around while his eyes remained closed.

Plump. The couch vibrated as if someone had kicked it. Otonashi moved a bit subconsciously, wanting to slip back into the coma he was just in.

Plump. Another vibration rocked the couch louder. Annoyed, Otonashi sits up and rubs his eyes.

_Is it a damn earthquake...?_

Attempting to clear the blurriness from his vision, he blinked a bit before looking at a figure standing above him.

"Good morning Otonashi."

"Put this on," the figure ordered, throwing a tan jacket on top of Otonashi's head. Internally rolling his eyes, Otonashi proceeded to take off the hoodie he wore yesterday, revealing a white long-sleeved polo. From what he could identify, the sandy brown coat looked rather thin before automatically slipping it on as he sat on the couch still in his disoriented state.

"Let's go."

Otonashi stood up groggily and followed behind the figure, now trying to keep his eyes somewhat closed to revert to his sleepy self while navigating behind the figure. Both Otonashi and his intruder walked through the open front door of his house to a blocky, grey vehicle. The collision between the floor and their shoes were evident by the sloshes made by puddles from the everlasting rain. However, the cardiologist's senses were still on point, quickly turning around and feeling a jolt of energy, ultimately sacrificing his ability to go to sleep. The security of his house was the norm, even in the specific neighborhood where he lived.

He ran quickly to the open door they left behind before sticking his hand around the door to engage the locking mechanism and slammed the door shut.

His eyes gradually opened wide, and he developed a furrow, his right arm beginning to tremble. He spent the entire time being a brainless zombie following orders, not giving care who it was or what business they had with him. The depressed state he was in eliminated any form of other thoughts other than doing the necessities that required little brainpower. Quickly realizing what just happened in the past five minutes, he slowly turned back around towards the original travel direction, keeping his eye to the corner to immediately gather as much information as possible without turning his full attention toward the person.

"Otonashi, are you alright?" A voice spoke, a bit louder than what would be necessary for the given distance between them.

Blue hair.

Otonashi completed his full turn around, now getting a clearer picture of _who_ the commanding figure is, and the intense feeling of deja vu came seeping into his mind once more.

A sandy brown coat, white polo, black pants. Otonashi's teeth gritted together as the wall of emotions came toward him alongside a burning sensation in his eyes as he lowered his head. The blue-haired figure leaned with his back against the passenger side door and his hands in his pockets. The concern appeared on the face of Hinata, walking back towards the still Otonashi and standing in front of him.

Otonashi struggled and gagged, unable to get the words he wanted to say out. He wanted to say his name, but sniffles came out, followed by tears as he silently cried into Hinata's shoulder.

"What a troublesome guy..." Hinata described his friend with a hearty laugh as he opened up his arms, awaiting the next move from his friend. Quickly, Otonashi grabbed him and pulled him close, holding him tight. He gripped him as if his life depended on it, to which Hinata reciprocated his action by wrapping his arms around Otonashi.

"I thought you would just act like you didn't know. Like you forgot or something," he stated, smiling once more.

"It's good to see you again."

* * *

Silence followed after Otonashi's moment of reunification with Hinata. After Otonashi composed himself and gave him another hug, Hinata invited Otonashi to the car in his possession, wanting to give Otonashi a bit of a drive so he can calm down.

They approached a closeby area and parked. Restaurants littered the complex they found themselves in.

"Don't you say anything," Otonashi growled at Hinata, walking alongside him with his hands in his pockets. Side by side, they strolled in a straight line past a relatively full parking lot littered with cars of various types. They closed the distance to a huge complex as they walked. They separated by subsequent smaller buildings, although still attached.

"I wasn't going to," Hinata assured him.

"...But it was heartwarming to see you cry into my chest like it's been forever," Hinata remarked, clearly teasing the poor and emotion-struck Otonashi.

"Tch...The first chance I get," Otonashi declared, taking one hand out of his coat pocket and aiming a finger gun at Hinata. "I will shoot you."

"Now now, this isn't like the afterlife where you can shoot me or punch me in the face, and I'll be able to get back up in an hour," the blue-haired said knowingly, smirking.

"That's exactly to my point, which is why you're treating me. I haven't eaten yet."

The growling of Otonashi's stomach became audible as if it was a scripted event. Glad to see the quick change in Otonashi's behavior, he played along.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"Hinata, I have a couple of questions."

Hinata stared at him, raising an eyebrow as they walked back toward the car.

"Shouldn't that wait a bit?" Hinata replied, but before Otonashi responded, the blue-haired continued.

"I understand why you want to ask, but you'll be getting your answers soon. I don't even know some of the answers myself, so you should wait it out."

Otonashi stared, his gaze aimed slightly down towards the floor. While he felt deserving of answers that led up to him meeting up with Hinata, he had a good reason for it. The events played out exactly as they did in the afterlife. He felt like he was back on the floor, waking up in a world he didn't recognize. He didn't want to feel lost again, even though his male guide was already here to help him find the solutions.

It wasn't a lie that he could already deduce a fair amount of answers based upon what has happened so far. Hinata was affiliated with the organization. Yuri herself must have had some connections to this organization if Hinata came the day after he said he was ready to meet them all. Perhaps Yuri was a leader of some kind? That wasn't outside the realm of reality. In fact, it would explain a lot of things. However, a lot of the details about the said organization were still muddled and largely unknown. It wouldn't be a surprise if Hinata worked directly under Yuri either. It only seemed natural for them to fall in the same pot. Their personalities and abilities complemented each other well, Otonashi admits.

The funding of this organization must be extensive. Hinata remarked that it was his first time driving a vehicle of this type. Upon inspection, the blocky vehicle that they are currently using was a gray Ford Explorer. Otonashi recalled the vehicle due to some point in life; he watched many American police videos.

As a doctor, it felt essential to understand many of the circumstances that patients arrive in, even if their environment is not close. Unfortunately, Otonashi has attended many people who have attempted to take their own life, usually by oral methods. Still, it wasn't rare for him to intervene and act on other emergencies brought into the hospital.

With Japan's strict gun control laws, it's near impossible to get a firearm anywhere within the country unless one fully commits to it or if it's obtained through less-than-legal means. For the cases that end with a bullet, they always tend to be high profile in his work line for his hospital's jurisdiction. Admittedly, it was a nice looking car with no scratches or visible damage. The seats were fairly comfy and even had seat warmers. Such a basic thing would have been considered a luxury despite it becoming a near-normal thing.

Otonashi felt himself get tired. His eyes drooped and began to close.

"Yo, we're almost there."

"Ugh..." He groaned, now waking himself up. Otonashi now turned his attention back to the front windshield, observing his surroundings. Taking a look, he noticed the location that they were at.

"Eh...? You guys operate here?" He questioned curiously.

"Nah nah, well sort of. Let me explain..." Hinata trailed off, still looking at the road.

"So, you know how we had the principle of blending in with the students back in the afterlife?"

"Mhm."

"It's the same thing here, except we don't have a school. When we're operating in the same fashion, we have to find a discrete place to where both the normal person and others would think twice to look at. It's a public place, so it's hidden in plain sight. We're also of the lower age demographic, so it's natural for people our age to go in and out of the mall constantly."

_What?_

Otonashi looked up in thought, and there was a major discrepancy. A lot of this seemed logical, but what about the practical aspects, like going into the area where they meet up. Would they have cameras? What kind of supplies do they have? How do they bring it in?

"I might as well explain the other aspects, but first, let's get inside."

"Huh?" Otonashi looked at him, tilting his head. Now paying attention to his surroundings once more, they pulled into the parking lot at some point and have stopped beside one of the side entrances to the mall, on top of a metal plate on the ground. There was a metal pole on Hinata's side with what appeared to be an intercom with a camera and one button.

"Oi oi, this doesn't look remotely suspicious at all to you?" Otonashi remarked, to which the blue-haired shrugged as he pulled the door handle to step outside. Hinata pressed the button to activate the intercom, and the light comes on. He looks at the intercom, tilting his head before he gives it a couple of smacks before pressing the button again. Throughout the ordeal of what seemed to be a faulty intercom, the light stayed on.

"Hey!" Hinata yelled at the intercom.

_Really?_

"We're here to drop off!"

The platform began to vibrate, acknowledging the request.

"Thank you!" Hinata stepped away from the intercom, the light now finally shutting off. Stepping back inside the vehicle, he closed the door.

"So you're acting like a transport truck, bringing in new products every so often?" Otonashi deduced.

"Pretty much."

"That was an act the entire time?"

"Yeah. Pretty convincing, right?"

Otonashi shook his head in response.

"I saw the light. Someone was watching the whole time."

"It doesn't have to be convincing to us. To others, we're just a couple of workers. At the end of the day, people forget they've ever seen us." Hinata smiled at Otonashi. The vibrations became intense as the platform lowered itself into the ground with an audible alarm. Their surroundings became gradually darker as they sunk into the ground with the intercom disappearing.

After a minute passed, the platform finally stops shaking, indicating that it has finished lowering them into their supposed hideout. What lay in front of them was an empty tunnel with concrete struts supporting the floor's weight above them, electrical lamps on the ceiling light the way just barely. The concrete walls bore a dark grey-blackish color, the opening with more than enough clearance to let the car fit through. Hinata slightly steps on the gas, causing the car to move forward, and the suspension falls slightly, the car finally off the metal platform.

"Seems oddly familiar. You guys got traps here?"

"A couple. Even got some anti-angel traps in here."

"You think that would be cruel..." Otonashi said dully.

So far, his impression of this new organization was a bag of trail mix. If he were in charge, he'd change some aspects, such as picking something less conspicuous for a vehicle, changing the entrance so it wasn't outside in full view, maybe even a change in uniform. However, some of these aspects are very minor to the nature of what this organization does. So far, they've helped him out with various things, and none have ever really crossed the line. He also considered that he never ran a group of unknown scale, which might work in their favor. There's always this possibility of a measure failing simply because one focuses too much on the details.

Hinata continued to slightly press the gas, driving slowly in a straight line, making it seem forever. Light seeped out at the end of the tunnel, less than fifty meters away, and yet it was taking well over a couple of minutes.

"Could you perhaps step on the gas?"

"No. The traps are deactivated, but it doesn't mean they won't accidentally trigger."

Otonashi turned his head to Hinata.

"It only happened once. I'm just not taking any risks." The red-haired doctor sighed, twiddling his thumbs and waiting patiently. The light began to seep into the car, and Otonashi was able to look around at their supposed hideout.

Greeted with an odd layout, he began to note all the different purposes and areas of the room they entered. Directly left of the tunnel lay a couple of parking spots, and on the right side lay various boxes of materials and sizes. Guessing this is the logistic area near the entrance, it would make the most practical sense. Through the way Hinata was driving, the route stayed mostly clear with how far a vehicle can go are defined by white lines similar to how streets are painted on the surface. The white lines then took a curve to the right, and where it led to was blocked by what it appears to be a security post with tinted glass windows.

As they approached the curve, the vehicle gradually came to a stop.

"Hop off for a bit. I'ma park the car back there."

Otonashi complied, opening the door and stepping out of the vehicle before closing it. Clearing himself off the route, Otonashi walked to the security post and stood beside it while he watched Hinata reverse park the car into the relatively compact parking spots. Looking around, the place is rather quiet. No one was present, which would seem contradictory to his beliefs that this organization was anything but tiny. Each movement inside the underground base echoed off the concrete walls. It was also fairly cold at a controlled level, and the material in the walls definitely helped with that. The jacket was more than enough to suffice.

Upon closer detail, the concrete walls had a peculiar design with creases in the middle and some metal sticking out in repeated patterns. Hinata then stepped out of the vehicle, flicking the keys around his fingers before pressing the lock button. The clicks from the car's locking mechanism and the horn signified the vehicle is secure.

Adjacent to Otonashi and the security post, a door on the left side of the curve clicked, and both males walked toward it, Hinata opening the door wide enough for both of them. Hinata walked first, with Otonashi behind his right shoulder. The temperature in the immediate vicinity changed instantly to lukewarm, and the ambiance changed. Instead of solid concrete was now polished wood on the floor, walls, and ceiling. In combination with the wood, the lights were now more of a traditional lantern style, albeit still hung from the ceiling. Despite the complete mood change, Otonashi focused on rather what was ahead of him: A sliding paper door.

Hinata pushed the sliding door to the right and stepped in with Otonashi hesitating to follow, but quickly changing his mind and moving forward with him. He won't be able to learn anything if he refuses to make decisions and adapt quickly. He learned that from her. Granted, circumstances would change that statement if a person were to factor in different types of variables, but there wasn't a reason to do so. Not here.

What lay in front of Otonashi is what changed his world as his breath was quickly taken away by the sight of her. Sitting on her chair with her body leaning forward and hands together, the images quickly flashed in his mind of her.

Her purple hair, her sea-green eyes, her hairband holding a green ribbon on the right side of her head.

"Here he is," Hinata spoke before leaving the room and closing the paper sliding door. His footsteps decreased in volume as the door further down opened and closed with a slam. Yuri's eyes opened and stared at Otonashi, her hands still folded and close to her face.

With him gone, it was the two of them alone together. Otonashi's hands trembled to a feeling he can't comprehend. Was it fear? Anxiety? Relief? Maybe he could be shaking because Yuri was the last one at the gravesite when she saw him. He stared back at her, losing the feeling in his body parts. His hands, now arms, now legs began to waver.

She quickly stood up and walked over to him quickly. Just that moment of silence broke his already mentally torn figure as he hoarsely tried to speak, although failing to get his undecipherable words out. He fell to his knees, to which Yuri quickly gathered her speed and caught him. Still heavier than her, she caught him to soften his fall as both of them fell to their knees with Yuri hugging Otonashi, holding him close to her.

The tears the past few weeks have completely drained him out, and his vision clouded once again. The warm embrace soothed Otonashi as he closed his eyes and returned the hug for the person he once fell for.

Unable to see her face and not wanting any more tears, he simply closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. She spoke the words he thought he wouldn't hear again...and what he wanted to hear all this time from _her._

"Yuzuru, I'm so happy to see you."


	4. Reunite

Otonashi accepted the opened can that was grasped in Yuri's left hand. With her other hand occupied with the same type of brand coffee, she holds it out to Otonashi with a slight smile on her face, to which he taps his drink against hers before both take a drink.

That deja-vu feeling he was experiencing right now wasn't like any other. For the past couple of weeks, his heart hurt with the confrontation of Hatsune's death and having no one to become his warmth. For the past couple of weeks, he had little to no motivation to continue; his purpose was wiped clean with no task at hand. With the developing occurrences within his grasp, he continued to take apart the information and what has happened his entire second life piece by piece. The one controlled the divine intervention of this mysterious organization he is next to, and what was impossible feats of coincidences turned out to be orchestrated. This was all verified the moment he stepped down into the organization's base.

Like natural, there were plenty of unanswered questions. While some of the options dug straight into this organization's details, it was better off to start easy and compose himself. His previous dealings with the battlefront have made it easier.

Lowering the Key Coffee he held in his hand, he leaned forward against the railing on top of the mall, his eyes absorbing all the information in front of him. The height of their current positions paved the way to the surreal experience he felt with every breath he took as if standing on top of the world when he was only about five or six floors above ground level. Tops of rooftops, the sun setting but continued to glare down at them as the day came to an end, and the yellow sky gradually getting darker each minute that passes signified the day's end. The trees that have been planted a long time ago slightly swayed in response to the light breeze that pushed air all around them, slightly picking up the scents of nature and wafted them across to those who encountered the invisible smell.

He turned his head and eyed his former leader, observing her figure and compared the current events to the afterlife. The details of their current circumstances were quite similar, except there was a major key difference: He could comprehend what was real and what wasn't. The astounding details of the afterlife would've been a hassle to understand initially. Not being able to die but feeling the very pain one would feel in proportion to the damage done would be an opportunity for research if he weren't distracted by the state of affairs and meeting the Afterlife Battlefront.

"It feels nice, doesn't it?" Yuri finally breaks the silence, looking up at the orange sky as she leaned against the railing.

"Mm," Otonashi nods in response.

"Have you composed yourself?" She turned her head to face him, and her familiar features lit up against the light emitted by the sun. In contrast to the shadow covering the left side of her face, the overwhelming light covered the light blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah," he confirms.

"This feels very similar," he admits, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing.

"Like how, when I first got into the afterlife and meeting all of you. When you took me to the rooftop and explained everything to me."

"..."

"I live for moments like these. Being able to relax with a view like this."

"..."

"But business calls. I'm here for a reason, aren't I? I guess we'll have to repeat history."

"Just like old times, Otonashi-san. Ask away!" Yuri sipped her coffee, rotating her body to where she now faced the same direction as Otonashi, and looked towards the mall's parking lot, awaiting his questions.

"How'd you get everyone from the afterlife back together? It shouldn't have been easy," Otonashi started. The question was quite loaded, but he was prepared to absorb all the information he could.

"Yep. We might as well start from scratch. Did I ever tell you how I got the group together in the afterlife?"

"No, but I don't think I need the details. You can tell me about that later."

"Okay. Let me ask you one thing before we start. Otonashi-san, how did you remember everything?"

Otonashi shifted uncomfortably.

"It didn't feel good. I believe I uhh..." He trailed off, trying to locate somewhere in his brain the memory of remembering the afterlife.

"Ah, it was this splitting headache before I went to bed one night. I couldn't get any sleep, and it got progressively worse. I've considered checking into the hospital because of how bad it got. Every time I felt my blood pump, the pain only intensified. I took some pain medicine, though, and I was eventually able to fall asleep after what seemed to be forever."

"Eeeeh...Sounds about the same for the rest of us," Yuri remarked, causing Otonashi to visibly recoil, quickly turning his attention back to Yuri with a surprised look on his face.

"Anyways, continue," she motioned with her hand as if waving him off. He returned his gaze to the parking lot and beyond.

"...Ah, right. Once I was able to get some damn sleep, I had a dream. It felt like a video was being played in front of me. Flashbacks to our time in the afterlife."

" _Our_ time?" Yuri butted in suddenly, emphasizing the word 'our' and raising her voice. She recalled an event that occurred between them. However, he was unaware of what exactly she was referring to. The only context she gave only reminded him of minor events.

"Not everything is about you," he replied dryly.

"I wasn't talking about just me, you know..." She pouted, rolling her eyes. Unknown to Otonashi, her eyes softened for a split second.

"Continue," she commanded.

"There isn't much to it afterward. The morning after, the memories just came back over time. It took a couple of days for me to fully remember everything."

Yuri put her hand under her chin as if she was doing some thinking.

"I kinda already knew this, but it's nice to have some confirmation. For your information Otonashi-san, it was the same for the rest of us."

"Man, the headache was a real pain in the butt to deal with for me, though. I was crying for hours!" She comically cried. He chuckled for a bit and opened his mouth.

"I agree. I never want to experience that again," he nodded his head before going back to listening to Yuri.

"Okay, back on topic. We all originally planned on going our separate ways when we got obliterated, right? I sort of felt that we all wanted to see each other one way or another, and I had this idea of recreating our group, except y'know, in real life!"

"Wai-"

"Hold on. I'm not finished."

"It was a lot more difficult, though. There were many things to factor in, like if we were in the same timeline or if we lived in different places the moment we regained our memories. So I did what any sensible person would do: go on a computer and post stuff on the internet. Pretty good idea, right?" She looked to him for approval but quickly moved on.

"If I was able to regain my memories, then the others might have been able to. So I started posting on random forums and such talking about how I wanted to reunite the battlefront. Of course, those who frequented those message boards didn't know what the heck I was talking about, calling me a cultist and similar weird stuff. I stopped doing that since I wasn't getting any results, and my posts were getting deleted."

"I got back to thinking, and I realized that we also preserved all of our names, so I just did a bit of searching using all of our names, and that's where I mostly got in contact with everyone. Their addresses and phone numbers were all online, so I just gave them a call. Even found you through that way."

"Hold on," Otonashi quickly jumped in, but he was quickly cut off as if she knew the answer to his question.

"It wasn't that hard to find you. I just didn't bother since you were pretty close, and I could keep an eye on you."

"That's not what I wanted to ask about," Otonashi clarified. She tilted her head, initially thinking that she answered what was thought to be his question.

"You decided to reunite the battlefront for what purpose exactly?"

"What answer do you want?" She replied cooly.

"The truth."

"Is what I'm telling you not truth enough for you? I'm not lying."

"I know you're not lying, but you always have more than one reason whenever you do something."

"Do you have any reasons for distrusting me?" Yuri poked carefully, still staring at Otonashi and observing his body language. Any form of twitch or movement from him would be a sign to her.

"None at all."

"..."

"You have changed since I last saw you, Otonashi-san. You weren't as perceptive." She sighed, twirling the liquid inside her can. In her mind, it really was the truth. Her deeper intentions were based on reuniting them all back together.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, but she shook her head and smiled. He took a sip of his drink and looked to the corner of his eyes before resuming his gaze toward the parking lot.

"It's the truth."

"However, what I am telling you right now is the truth. While I did bring a lot of us back together, a couple of the battlefront members left behind what they had just to come back. I always wanted the best for the battlefront. You know that."

"Some of our guys? They had jobs. Some of them had families. I'm not one to advertise leaving behind what you have, and it surprised me that some of them went to those extents, but they weren't happy and doing so well. They offered ideas on what we as a group can do. We're all experienced in different fields, whether it is combat, manufacturing, or knowledge."

Yuri trailed on this list, with Otonashi unaware of what she was going with.

"In short, Otonashi-san, we make money. A lot of it."

He raised his hand as if to make her stop talking despite the clear difference in status. She closed her mouth upon seeing his movement, no longer willing to talk. He barely moved an inch, still staring off into the distance. The tension in the air became apparent as Otonashi absorbs the information, now fully becoming aware of the nature regarding the organization he questioned. The single mention of money now brought up the ideas of _what_ this organization does to make that money.

He wanted to continue being ignorant and just accept the way things are. He can't lie to himself. It bothered him.

_Let me save it for last._

"Who came back from the top brass?" Otonashi resumed the line of questioning.

"A lot of people, actually!" Yuri's happy tone breaking the tension.

"I'm sure you'll remember all of them. Ooyama-kun, Shiina-san, Yusa-san, Fujimaki-kun, Takamatsu-kun, Takeyama-kun, and Noda-kun."

"Mm," Otonashi nodded in confirmation. All the names weren't just familiar; they were etched into his mind. However, one name stood out to him as an irregularity.

"Shiina came back?"

"Mhm! I didn't think she would return either. I always thought she's from the past."

"Why did she?"

"No clue," she shrugged. The quick and unexpected answer from Yuri would have made him fall over if he wasn't stabilized.

"You don't even know?"

"We never really found out why she joined us in the afterlife in the first place. The answer's beyond me."

Otonashi sighed.

"Who didn't come back?" He asked.

"Matsushita-godan, TK, and Naoi. I couldn't find anything on them. Matsushita-godan wasn't on any martial arts lists in Japan. I thought he would be the easiest person to find," Yuri admitted, sighing in frustration.

"Well, the majority of that list is pretty unique and erratic, so I wouldn't have expected any less."

"I suppose..." Yuri pouted once more, disappointed.

"Anything else?"

"Is it just people from the Afterlife Battlefront that are currently in the organization you run now?"

"Not necessarily. To maintain what we do, we needed more people. Many of the people we get now are just contractors: people who don't truly know what we do, but they still do a lot for us, like transportation. We also just pay people to make decisions. It's easy to convince people to accept bribes. A good example would be a couple of directors from the medical board in the hospital you worked at."

"So that's what it was..." Otonashi winces slightly at the thought of the entire hospital situation. The mere thought would bring tears to his eyes, as it reminded him of Hatsune, but he had no more tears to shed.

"Any more questions?"

"Who else came back that we know that wasn't part of the top brass?" Otonashi inquired.

"The entire distraction team of Girls DeMo and most of the guild. It turned out that Girls DeMo reunited on their own and tried seeking out the rest of the battlefront."

"Oh? That's pretty interesting. How were they trying to find us?"

"They recreated the Girls Dead Monster group and started performing their songs again. Iwasawa-san's back at the lead."

"They actually made the band again?" Otonashi said shockingly.

"Yep! As a result, they've become pretty popular in the real world too. It's not a bad thing considering they **are** the distraction team. We set them up in places we need to operate in."

Yuri began to take out her phone, unlocking it and scrolling through it before offering it to Otonashi. He grabs the phone gracefully and pulls up a social media page with the title "Girls Dead Monster" on the top. What surprised him was the number of followers the group had.

"Seven hundred thousand followers?!" Otonashi yelled, completely astonished. "I didn't expect them to have such a large following in real life too."

"Mhm," Yuri confirms, taking back her phone and putting it back in her pocket.

"Chaa came back, though he's a bit of a part-timer. Right now, he's running the guild from the very top, just like how he was in the afterlife. You met him, right?"

"Yeah."

"So you're already familiar with him. Good. Anything else, Otonashi-san?"

"Hmmm..." Otonashi trailed off, searching in his mind for the imaginary list of questions he had. Many of the questions he had were answered already by Yuri's elaboration, such as how they reformed the group, the purposes, specific people, and the like.

"Our uniforms, they're the same as the afterlife," Otonashi said, looking at the brown coat that was given to him. The familiar triple-S patch on his shoulder gave it away, although he wasn't fully dressed in a white polo like he was in the afterlife.

"It's the same concept. We're still around the same age when we left the afterlife, so we obviously fit in the high school or college demographic. If you look below, a lot of the people that go to the mall are people around the same age as us. A lot of them still go to school, so we fit right in."

 _I'm not eighteen anymore..._ He thought. While the uniforms may have been the same, it's been around seven years since the train incident. His frame has gotten a tad bigger, and if his thoughts are correct, not everyone in the battlefront would have been the same age. They had to be seven years older than they were before.

"But we drove up to a platform with quite the suspicious-looking vehicle. Won't that raise questions?"

"Students have jobs here all the time. We can just say the vehicle was loaned to us, and it's just to ensure we're more responsible. There's really nothing to it."

"Egh..." Otonashi internally facepalmed. While excuses like that can be cranked out, something more realistic, like a pickup truck or a van, would suffice and blend in a lot more efficiently than a Ford Explorer. The logical arguments make sense, but from an operational security standpoint, the point is to be a grey man, to not stand out. The uniforms are pretty good on their own but driving a vehicle like that is unordinary. It itched at him, but in the end, it's not his decision to make.

"Alright. Fair enough. Has anyone actually died yet?"

"Idiot, who do you take me for? I know that we actually lose our life if we **really** die. We don't exactly know if we go back to the afterlife, do we?" Yuri berated him, quickly moving from her position, and went close to Otonashi, staring at him angrily, to which he puts his hands up as if he was surrendering.

"You're right, you're right!" Otonashi repeated desperately. The meaning behind those words was one of a scared animal pleading for its life. Afterward, he lowered his head, avoiding direct eye contact with Yuri, who continued to stare him down.

"Of course, no one died. I wouldn't put anyone in harm's way if they didn't want to," Yuri said in a low voice. As Otonashi listened to her, her low tone sent an alarm to his mind. The way his words could've been interpreted was that he would think she would do something like that. It felt like he hurt her with such low expectations.

"They still do it, though. We all have the goal in our mind to come out alive no matter what."

"And you're not doing anything that would cause direct harm to anyone?" Otonashi asked. She stepped away from him, turning around and resuming her original position against the railing.

"Nothing that I would want to put anyone in unless it's necessary or it can't be helped."

"Okay. Final question."

"Shoot."

"How do you guys exactly make money?"

"All of it?" Yuri asked with no hesitation. Otonashi looked back at her and was surprised to experience her conviction. There wasn't the conviction from the question or anything of that sort.

It was the conviction to convince him.

And she put it all on the line to do so.

"We operate on the black market. We provide armed security, we sell weapons, and we sell drugs," she claimed nonchalantly.

"..." Otonashi frowned, the decision to make money from the organization clearly turned his view upside down. She resumed her look on Otonashi, clearly expecting this type of reaction as he fought the moral dilemma within him. Both items that she named were quite familiar, and therefore had a deep understanding of what they could do. Even though guns were used in the afterlife, they had no choice, given the information at that time. Drugs were practically non-existent and, in his view, should be exclusively for medical purposes.

Given his medical experience, he understands more than anyone the human factor of using these different objects. Drugs to him was a whole new level that he fought against. It's ruined many of the people he's seen walking into the office or the emergency room. He would see families rushing in only to find out that the person they knew would change for the worse because of their addictions. He could give them the facts and information, trying his best to look sympathetic while not shedding tears. To see the human body in a degraded state internally was a different ball game. The potential damage that could be done inside was nearly unimaginable, and the outside only showed the surface of such damage.

To work with an organization that supported this type of business, especially one that dealt in the underworld market of narcotics...

It's something he didn't want to be a part of.

"So?" Yuri asked.

"It seems like you weren't happy with the answer."

"No, I'm not," he admitted to her angrily. There wasn't any reason to lie to Yuri at this point. He wasn't being held hostage, but his moral grounds made it seem like she held a gun to his head. When he finally realized that she made his life the easiest it could be, it felt like the gun was cocked, and just a little pull would end him.

"The reason why we deal with these kinds of things, Otonashi-san..." She walked up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder as he looked towards the parking lot, not daring to look her in the eye once more.

"It's the greatest amount of money with the least amount of damage. The people who decide to buy what we sell aren't all bad. A lot of people who buy our weapons only seek to have protection when their country or where they live isn't able to provide it adequately."

"What about the drugs Yuri. The people who take them...?" He growled quietly, slightly crushing the coffee can in his hand. She sighed, still keeping her eye on him. Despite her knowledge of him and how he acts, he's the most unpredictable out of all the afterlife battlefront members. Her hunch has proved her right countless times.

"They aren't forced to take it. It's their decision whether or not they want to. Plenty of people know the consequences, and yet they still take them."

"But still..." Otonashi winced, but she remained by his side. She couldn't tell him that it was wrong because, morally, it was. If the admission that it was wrong came out of her mouth, it would've given him plenty of opportunities to use that against her and to stop the drug operation. That's as far as she knew about his thought processes.

Now stood the silence between them as the sun continued to set, and the breeze continued to dance around them. It felt like a decade before he opened his mouth.

"Can I think about it?"

She sighed silently, a bit relieved before an affirming sound came from her vocal cords. She drank the rest of her coffee, crushing the can before walking off to the nearest stairwell. She began the journey back down to the base, hoping that Otonashi would consider what it would mean to rejoin the battlefront.

She didn't even have to ask.

"Otonashi-san, whatever you decide, stick with it," she ordered him, not looking back at him. However, she could feel his eyes watching her.

 _"_ If you regret, you'll dull your future decisions and let others make your choices for you."

"All that's left for you to do is die."

* * *

Otonashi wandered back to the original location of Yuri's office, following her nearly an hour after she left him alone. As he walked through the underground base, the parking spots next to the entryway he came in with Hinata were now filled with the same type of Ford Explorers. While he would comment on the lack of subtlety in the choice of cars this organization had, his mind focused on what he was going to say to her, gulping in anticipation.

For what he had initially thought up on the roof, he wanted to make the demands to stop the drug and weapons operation. It was his first thought, but upon deeper thinking, he realized making such a request when he didn't have all the details of what those operations meant would be futile, especially when he could be making outrageous demands that would be near impossible to execute.

With the current events, he questioned his place in society when he thought in the broad scheme of things. The number of people and organizations that contributed to this problem of guns and drugs was endless. The people who are off on the deep end would continue their business as usual. There's no point in helping what's broken.

Otonashi didn't want to think that way. In the medical field, one shouldn't deal in absolutes. There are a lot more options than just two.

He needed to adapt. Maybe there were some guidelines for what the battlefront did if they participated in these illegal activities, with one of them he is so familiar with.

He decided it was better for him to start now and have no regrets. Perhaps, later on, he can change these fundamentals of the battlefront. Reaching the final door to her office, he knocked and opened it.

What stood before him scattered across the room was the various members of the afterlife battlefront, clad with their brown overcoats with the familiar triple-S patch on the appropriate shoulder. A couple stood in the middle, a couple was sat down, and one person was in the corner with their arms crossed. All the names Yuri listed that rejoined the battlefront were all waiting. They all rotated their heads to shock and surprise, hearing the door open, except for Hinata and Takamatsu. They all stared at the red-haired cardiologist, seeing the person who changed everything in the afterlife and brought them peace once more.

Yuri was at her seat with her eyes closed, both her hands folded and resting her chin on top.

She opened her eyes as if she was expecting him.

"Have you made your decision?"

"Yeah, I made my decision," Otonashi replied to her.

"Well?" She stood up, walking past all the members and standing in front of him, one hand on her hip as she tilted her head.

Unknown to him, she laid out her cards perfectly to recruit him, and his decision to make was a gamble.

"Okay!" He declared to all the members, to which a collective sigh of relief resonated from all their mouths except for Yuri, who simply smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Welcome back, Otonashi-san!" Yuri said, now grinning at him.


	5. Meaning

"Itadakimasu!" A large number of voices said with politeness and eagerness. The sounds of chopsticks colliding with their assigned bowls appeared, followed by large amounts of slurping and chewing. A couple of the aforementioned voices either squealed or sighed in awe of the flavor of the ramen they specifically chose.

 _An entire room all to ourselves?_ Otonashi questioned, energetically diving into his given bowl of ramen. What came next was a flavor explosion as a result of the combination of ingredients. The bowl's ingredients stood the test of time, often being used in many ramen dishes with great reviews and combinations, composed of egg noodles, bamboo shoots, chashu steak, green onion, seaweed, corn, and butter. The whole dish was brought together with the miso soup, each ingredient equally giving its flavor to the soup while at the same time absorbing the flavors of its neighbors. Otonashi's right arm shook, and his eyes opened wide as the taste of noodles and broth entered his mouth, making contact and clinging to his taste buds.

_The sweetness of the corn...the fat from the butter..._

Pushing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he wanted to push the galaxy of flavors deeper into his tongue, failing horribly as his natural bodily function of swallowing took over. The flavor disappeared, but the satisfying experience of eating such a savory bowl of ramen at what he would consider a low price puts him in a trance-like state, letting the primitive instincts of his humanity take over. The sounds of talking and eating from those around him were simply blocked off. After slurping away at the egg noodles and quickly complementing that with the other ingredients off to the side, he quickly awakens himself as his extreme hunger and passion began to subside. Less than half of the bowl remained, but he figured with how he chowed down his meal when his mind wasn't in the right place, he may not enjoy the flavor as much as he would.

Taking a deep breath and sacrificing the tasteful moment he had with his food, he leaned back against his chair as the sound of the people around him came back. Taking a look around, he began to observe the others. All of the present battlefront members were all seated together but conjoined with multiple tables. Chatter, eating, glasses clinking. The foolish boy play that the majority of guys did while eating. The casual chatter.

The familiar setting resurfaced memories of the afterlife, playing back a summary of the events relating to his times in the cafeteria like a TV screen. As the memories replayed in his mind, he unknowingly smirked at the thought of it. Life in the afterlife was way easier than his current and previous lives; he had to admit. The afterlife mechanics were straightforward: you can't die, and you can't get sick. The definition of sick can be applied in various ways, like being tired of living in one space or doing the same activities repeatedly. It can also extend to just getting a cold. If one died in the most gruesome way, they would simply piece themselves back together or regenerate. While many human mechanics still existed, all tasks that would be deemed detrimental to someone's health are possible.

If Otonashi had to choose between the real world and the afterlife, the most likely choice for him would be the afterlife. If the concept of not getting sick of it didn't exist in the afterlife, then it would have been the easy choice. Death wasn't that hard to interpret for him: the world simply turned black or whatever blank space it turned to. Though the question of the afterlife existing is to be determined since he and many others have actually gone to it.

A nudge pushed Otonashi out of his thoughts. Looking to his left, he set his eyes upon Hinata, who happily put his arm around Otonashi.

"Yoooo, Otonashi!" Hinata grinned.

"What?"

"Why not tell us a bit more about yourself?!"

"What is there to talk about..."

"Oh, you already know! Ever since we left the afterlife, we've been leading completely different lives...I think," Hinata trailed. The rest of the tables began to quiet down. Hinata continued, "Anyways, why not tell us what's happened then?" A couple of voice approvals came from different top brass members all across different tables.

"I'd like to hear about that as well," a voice came from further down the tables. Both Hinata and Otonashi turned their head to discover the voice belonged to Iwasawa. She was seated beside the entire Girls Dead Monster's band. Hisako to her left, Sekine to her right, and Irie beside Sekine. Upon closer inspection, Otonashi eyed the cool beauty that sat far across from him and looked at her facial expression. A sly smile was on her face, but something about her face bothered him. The way she pronounced those words made it sound serious but to have a sly smile like that was erratic. Consequently, Sekine and Irie put their heads down, almost as if they were blushing or attempting to hide their laughter.

Otonashi looked up in the air, thinking about recounting the original deviation from his life and the most recent events. Including the heartbreaking ones.

"Alright, alright," Otonashi respectfully pulls Hinata's arm, adjusting himself on his seat.

_I'll leave out the bad stuff._

Everyone prepared to listen to Otonashi by adjusting themselves to their seats. A few members continued to eat but were actively looking up at the cardiologist and listening despite their activities.

"It's been a bit of a blur since the very beginning, but I'll try and remember everything."

"Both before and now, my sister suffered from an unknown heart condition that she was hospitalized for. We were able to get her most of the tests that were needed to determine her condition, but they all came back inconclusive. Before I arrived in the afterlife, I started studying for the entrance exam to medical school and was on my way to the exam before the tunnel we were in collapsed."

Nothing but silence came from the rest of the members as they listened closely. To prevent awkwardness, he continued.

"We got stuck there for nearly about a week before rescuers came. Unfortunately, I got sent to the afterlife right as they got to us."

"Otonashi-san?" Yuri spoke.

"Yeah?"

"Were you injured as a result of the train accident?"

"Yes, that's correct. I had a large laceration on my lower left torso, and I was on a time limit. However, this time, I decided to tell the rest of the people with us when the train crash, and they all took turns monitoring me and taking care of me, which I didn't do for myself at that time."

"When they finally got to us, everyone got sent to the hospital, and I was the only person in critical condition. It turns out that the others only suffered dehydration, starvation, and minor injuries. Compared to back then, we took care of each other a lot, which I am glad for."

"No one died. Like it was a blessing."

...

"Ugh...this part's a bit of a blur, but I really don't remember how long I was in the hospital. I think a little over three weeks passed. I was able to reschedule my medical exam, and I passed."

"Excuse me!" Ooyama yelled, waving his hand high.

"Otonashi, what did you score on the medical exam?"

Otonashi crossed his arms and smirked.

"From a one to one hundred scoring model? I got a ninety-seven."

The entire congregation of Afterlife members nearly fell off their chairs except for Yuri, Iwasawa, Shiina, Yusa, and Fujimaki. While the four females didn't react exaggeratedly, Fujimaki had his mouth wide open in shock.

"N-N-N-Ninety-seven?" Takamatsu questioned in disbelief.

"Isn't the medical entrance exam known to be extremely hard?" Takamatsu turned his attention to Ooyama. In response, he nodded rapidly.

"He's a man of knowledge, how terrible," Noda stated, putting a hand to his face, defeated.

"Oi Otonashi...you're not like a smarty pants...are you?" Hinata reached out to Otonashi in a depressed manner to which the red-haired simply shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't think so," Otonashi said with a chuckle. In response, Hinata sighed in relief.

"I thought I lost you," Hinata comically cried.

Otonashi raised his hand as if he were trying to whisper to Hinata, who moved in closer to hear his words.

"Are you gay?"

"NO, I'M NOT," Hinata screamed at Otonashi, quickly grabbing the entire attention of everyone before they all resumed their conversations, mostly relating to Otonashi's near-impossible score. The cardiologist simply waved off Hinata while he desperately tried to convince Otonashi otherwise.

"Bah bah. Anyways..." Otonashi trailed off, indicating he would continue the story and the room quiet down once more.

"I studied to become a cardiologist in medical school, and that's when I became a medical resident."

"Sensei! What's a medical resident?" Fujimaki spoke in a polite classroom manner with his hand raised.

"In medical school, you're pretty much just doing a lot more studying in your specific field and doing a lot of practical stuff like internships. Since I wanted to become a cardiologist, I focused on internal medicine. After you graduate from medical school, you technically get the doctor's status, but that's when you begin medical residency, which is mostly just hands-on experience at that point. Depending on what you specialize in, your medical residency can last a long time. Up to, I think, five years."

"That's amazing. I didn't know how much went into becoming a doctor. I always knew it was extensive, but for years..." Ooyama admitted.

"Mhm. I was in my third year of residency in the university hospital I worked at before I rejoined up with you guys. Queue me up to the events now, and that's it, not much else to it."

"So, you're a doctor, then?" Iwasawa asked.

"Yeah," Otonashi nods.

"Then a cheers to Otonashi," Iwasawa states, standing up before grabbing her glass. The rest of the members followed suit in a domino effect and began to huddle closer, with Otonashi as the last to stand up.

"Congratulations, Otonashi. For achieving your dream and becoming a... uhh...what was it?"

"Cardiologist," Yuri says.

"Right, a cardiologist."

"Kanpai!" Iwasawa yells to start the cheers as she sticks her drink out, the others now opening their mouths and their drinks at the ready.

**"Kanpai!"**

* * *

The night continued, the drinks and the food ran out for each battlefront member, and the decision was finally made to leave, all expecting to see each other the day after. Outside the parking lot adjacent to the ramen shop they reserved for the night, they began with their goodbyes. The group that consisted of Ooyama, Takamatsu, Fujimaki, and Noda decided to leave first, leaving in a pickup truck. Shiina left, citing important work but left the details vague. The leader of the current battlefront alongside Hinata and Yusa both left to return to the base to prepare for tomorrow's meeting, and Takeyama left amid the goodbyes without saying anything, leaving only the members of the Girls Dead Monster band and Otonashi.

Walking alongside the members of Girls Dead Monster, the four members chatted amongst themselves while Otonashi stares off into the distance recounting recent events.

_"You sure you don't want a ride? I'm only going to drop off Yuri and Yusa at the base before I head home." Hinata asked._

_"No, Iwasawa wanted to give me one. I'd go with ya, but it'd be rude to say no since she offered first," Otonashi replied._

_"Mmm...You sure?" Hinata raised his eyebrow. If Otonashi could read Hinata's language, he could see he was at the very least annoyed or disappointed.  
_

_"Yeah, it's fine."_

_"Alright. Hey, you also have your medical exam tomorrow. It looks like the tiger pushed it forward since she wants you back for operations. I'll see you tomorrow."_

Iwasawa and Hisako had their respective vehicles parked next to each other; however, one of the vehicles caught Otonashi's attention. One was a car, and one was a sports motorcycle.

The chatter began to slowly die down amongst the four as they approached both vehicles.

"Ooh, you beat Fujimaki, Hinata, and Noda in Mahjong?" Sekine asked, leaning her back against the car with her arms crossed.

"You're quite the sly one, Hisako-senpai."

"Oh yeah. I caught onto their little scheme. They always sacrifice one of their own. Of course, 'I' have my secret hand," Hisako boasted, sneering at the previous competition she encountered.

"Haven't they caught onto you yet? Winning nearly eight times in a row is sure to set someone off..." Irie nervously claimed.

"Now now, that's why I lose every so often or lose a couple of times. You have to lose some to gain a lot," Hisako said proudly.

"Alright, it looks like I have to drop the kiddos off. Iwasawa, see you at practice tomorrow."

_That's not Hisako's bike?!_

Looking at Iwasawa, Otonashi sees that she just gives her lead guitarist a nod.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

"Alright, you two, get in. You're both getting in the back."

"Bu-" Sekine attempted to protest, but to no avail, as she was quickly cut off by Hisako.

"No. Buts."

Both Irie and Sekine hop into the back passenger seats of Hisako's car, but Sekine looks outside her window directly at Iwasawa. Curious, Otonashi tried to read Sekine's face, trying to read the communication she tried to relay to their lead singer.

_"Fufu~."_

_Huh?_ Otonashi is immediately taken aback, quickly looking at Iwasawa, who glared at Sekine, her eyes glued onto the seat where Sekine is located as the car backs up, before switching gears and driving off. Her glare softens but maintains eyesight with the car, in a way sending a message to Sekine.

The context of the situation has now become a matter of internal investigation by the cardiologist. The face on Sekine meant that there is a chance something could happen between the two since she looked directly at Iwasawa, and she was the one who offered to give him a ride. When she has a motorcycle of this nature, it would put both of them very close to each other no matter who the driver is. It also could be that both Iwasawa and Otonashi are alone, and they also happen to be opposite sexes. Otonashi's understanding of the context and Sekine's face has now been clarified, and it didn't bring a blush to his face.

However, it did stress him out now that he thinks that something potentially inappropriate may happen between them. Though despite the overwhelming circumstances, he highly doubts it. His memory of her is rather short, only recalling her in some meetings with the top brass, her two performances, and their only conversation before she disappeared. Admittedly, it would have been nice to get to know her a bit more or even initiate conversations with her. His expectations fell short as she became the first person since his arrival in the afterlife to disappear.

Around the beginning, he didn't understand Iwasawa's disappearance and only accepted the information he could interpret and receive at the time. When it came to his discovery that the afterlife wasn't meant to be a war against God or Angel, her disappearance made sense. In his eyes, she was able to face her past, and maybe her conversation with him gave her the strength she needed to resist and ultimately understand. He wondered if his situation of having amnesia brought her any comfort and acceptance when she left. Needless to say, her disappearance had brought an impact to him and brought **him** to understand the meaning behind the afterlife.

Though the question came up in his mind whether or not the afterlife filled its purpose, because as far as he was aware, the memories from the afterlife returned, and they were able to meet each other again. Like they were given a chance to resume life with each other, or the afterlife's ultimate goal wasn't complete.

It was another thing he shouldn't bother with.

"Otonashi," Iwasawa calls out his name, slowly turning around to face him as she leans against her bike, patting it. "You know how to ride one of these things?"

"Absolutely. I actually have one back at my place."

"Oh?"

"Perhaps next time I'll show it to you?"

"That would be nice."

They both smiled at each other and looked at each other. They viewed the person in front of them through their eyes, not feeling a slight bit of awkwardness.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" She offered.

"I would, but you only have one helmet," he politely declined, although that in itself was a lie. The model motorcycle she was running was a 2009 Suzuki Hayabusa in full black, and it was one of his first choice motorcycles. Instead, he went for a 2019 Kawasaki Ninja in dark blue for a more modern look. He wasn't a big fan of the bigger profile that the Hayabusa offered, but it wasn't anything for him to nitpick at.

"For a man who stood up against Yuri on his first day in the battlefront, you're the last person I would expect to obey safety rules and regulations," Iwasawa stated, taking out a pair of sunglasses from the internal compartment within her bike.

"Will this do?"

* * *

It took a bit for Otonashi to adjust to how Iwasawa's bike functions. While the controls remained the same, and the exact locations didn't differ too much, too little power is put into the bike compared to the resistance he is used to on his Kawasaki. The amused Iwasawa couldn't help but watch Otonashi struggle with her motorcycle and eventually had to perform some minor intervention. With the bike in working order and after a few practice drives around the parking lot, he was able to take off with familiar ease, going around the nearby towns as night time continues to fall upon them.

Despite traveling at fast speeds, the crisp breeze against Otonashi's face allowed him to have a surreal experience of what he would consider living in the moment. As he steadily increased the speed, the grip around his waist tightened, yet there was no audible sign of protest. Quickly turning his head, he wanted to get a view of Iwasawa's face to see her expression. Perhaps she was staying quiet out of shyness. He wanted to make sure he wasn't going too fast for her taste. Out of the corner of his eye, he realized he can't see her face as the visor blocked it and what was only visible was a portion of her upper body covered in her custom made mesh motorcycle jacket. He turned his attention back towards the road.

One of her hands went up and down his stomach in a stroking fashion, tingling him in one of the sensitive parts of the body. Intimate, but in response to his visible concern. She stopped herself and continued to hold Otonashi firmly. Her strokes told him that what he was doing was okay; at least that's how he interpreted it.

The weaving through the streets in a racing fashion slowly de-escalated to a slow drive, the wind no longer hitting up against them and only pushed their clothes slightly. Both continued to keep their mouths shut, and eventually, the ride came to an end when Otonashi's house came into view. The moonlight that shined down onto Earth was partially blocked by clouds, leaving the area around his house relatively dark only to be countered by the various streetlights that shined in every direction possible.

The motorcycle's brake is continuously applied, the bike itself is now coming to a full stop, and Otonashi sticks his foot out to prevent the bike from falling over.

He sighed in relief that he was finally back home after a long day of emotions, laughter, and talking. It was crazy to him that he rejoined the battlefront in all the same day and got to see nearly everyone from the afterlife itself. In itself, it would be an unreal experience that he would never get to feel again. Even if the cold air drained him of his body heat due to the lack of clothing, he still felt warm. Both the cool beauty of Girls Dead Monster and the lifesaver get off the bike simultaneously. He took the glasses off his head, the somewhat dark tint now finally away from his vision as Iwasawa takes off her helmet and places it on the bike. With glasses in hand, he turns around to face the singer and offers it to her, to which she takes.

"Thank you for letting me use it. I think my eyes would've dried up if you didn't have that."

"It's no problem."

They smiled at each other once more, and Otonashi scratched his head.

"Did you want to come inside?" He said nonchalantly.

"Asking a girl something like that without even asking her out is pretty distasteful, don't you think?" Iwasawa looked at Otonashi in a questioning manner.

"No, I wasn't going for that," he denied respectfully. Although he did have an interest in Iwasawa, he never fully imagined what it would be like to do such things that would go beyond the bounds of a normal friendship. "It's pretty late at night, and I feel like you shouldn't be riding out at this time, especially when you let me use your bike. It's only best that I offer you a place to sleep."

"You didn't say I was sleeping over," she stated matter of fact. He had a blank stare before a blush rose in his cheeks.

"You're right..." He said defeatedly. He let his words come out of his mouth before even thinking about what he was truly trying to say.

"I appreciate the offer, and I'd like to take you up on that," she said with a warm smile. "I was only teasing."

"Y-Yeah...of course."

Otonashi did his best to suppress the huge sigh of relief quietly. Iwasawa pulled the keys out of her motorcycle while Otonashi moved towards the front door of his house. He turned his head, and Iwasawa, with her helmet in hand, followed behind him. Grabbing the jumble of keys that stayed together through a key ring, he looked for the only silver key on the chain with ease, unlocking the handle and the lock above it before opening the door.

He stepped in and was met with a familiar brightness that he failed to see through his window.

_I must've forgotten to turn the lights back off._

He also noticed that he left his computer open and the can of Key Coffee left on the table that he forgot to throw away.

"Ahh, sorry for the mess, let me clean it up. Why don't you have a seat?"

He quickly grabbed the can of coffee, threw it away in a nearby trashcan, and closed his laptop. He walked towards his room, opening the door and quickly throwing the laptop onto his bed before closing the door and walking back to the living room, discovering Iwasawa on his couch with her keys and helmet already placed on the table.

"Did you want me to make you anything? Maybe get you a drink?"

"No, thank you, I'm still pretty full. Though I would like to talk to you about something."

Otonashi eyed Iwasawa with a questioning look, tilting his head. Her figure had a straight back with her legs together and her hands in her lap. It was a distinct sight, one that he has never seen before. Something completely out of her character, one trait described her: shy. The cool beauty persona no longer applied to her. Otonashi could feel the tension rising in the room and the hairs on his skin began to tingle, feeling as if the sensitivity was cranked one hundred times.

He walked over to her, sitting directly to her right at the end of the couch but keeping a minimal distance away from her in respect to her space.

"Otonashi, I wanted to ask you something very important."

He remained silent, careful about his choice of words and when to time them.

"I want to know how you left the afterlife."

The tension quickly left his body as it became a rather easy task for him to complete.

"Oh, I didn't leave immediately. Did you know what happened after you were gone?"

"No, I don't."

"Well..." He scratched the back of his head, trying to form the sentences necessary to give a summary of what happened after Iwasawa's disappearance.

"After picking a new singer, fighting with this guy named Naoi who wasn't an NPC, these shadows started appearing. Anyone they took became an NPC."

...

"We fought them, and Yuri was able to take out the person who was controlling them all with the program Angel Player. She doesn't even know if it was a person or not. It's still up to speculation. Everyone was able to move on, and only five of us were left, so we decided to do a graduation ceremony."

...

Maybe he shouldn't mention what happened afterward.

"I was the only one left, and despite what I've done, I felt incomplete."

"I found out soon enough that the afterlife wasn't just specifically for us. Other people soon found themselves in the same position, so I became student council president and wanted to help them move on. It was a bit hard, though. I'm not exactly a convincing person."

"I continued on and on for a long time, then that's when someone told me that I could rest."

"Of course, I didn't know what they were talking about, but she told me that she saw everything from the very beginning. She wasn't able to realize the world she existed in was the afterlife itself and thought it was life as we know it. She never remembered her memories until she finally broke out of that spell."

" 'You can rest now,' she said. "

"Otonashi?" Iwasawa whispered.

"Mm?" He quickly turned to face her and noticed that her hand was covering her face. He didn't look at her at all during the time he spoke, completely focused on what he was explaining.

"Hey, hey, hold on," he instinctively moved up closer to her, but she took her hand off and looked at him in the eyes. He returned her look and stared at her eyes, red and filled with tears. She was upset but putting it that way made what she was feeling right now too easy.

He didn't understand what she was crying about.

"Yuzuru..."

"Why don't you remember me?"


	6. Perception

Yuzuru wasn't a name he was often called. There were the few rare times he would be called by his first name. The antipathy he experienced as he heard his first name through someone else's mouth extended to the familiars he would call his family. It's just something that goes beyond the understanding of others. Compared to traditional culture, Otonashi's family culture revolved around respect, no matter the person. To be called by your first name is an extraordinary privilege that cannot be offered to anyone else. In his eyes, disclosing your first name to someone and being called your first name are two different ballparks.

No one has called him by his first name in a long time. There were a couple of occasions where he disclosed his name to a few close individuals from the battlefront, but most of them never called him that. As far as he could remember, a certain white-haired girl was the only one given the special privilege of calling him by his first name.

To him, the special privilege of being called your first name is usually granted to the person you choose to marry.

That didn't make any sense to Otonashi because he never said his first name to Iwasawa.

All he could do right now is look away from her pain-stricken red eyes, blind to her tears but wanted to support her. The next words he chooses can determine whether she stays or leaves and will determine their future relationship and the tension within the battlefront. Recalling Iwasawa's relationships within the battlefront, she never seemed to hang around the top brass very much. Nor did it seem to him that she had any close relationships with anyone other than the band she leads. Any other information was unknown to him.

His interaction with her only stemmed because a song she wanted to use as a distraction was shot down by the Afterlife Battlefront's leader, Yuri. Given the merit of the operations they conducted in the afterlife and how loud they can get, he can understand Yuri's decision. However, a thing that always bothered him even today is some of the rash decisions that the battlefront makes under Yuri's rule. Shooting down Iwasawa's song seemed a bit harsh by his standards, and they probably could've utilized it differently. His plan would've been to announce that Girls Dead Monster is releasing new songs. New songs are always worth listening to, especially in a band as mesmerizing as Girls Dead Monster. It definitely would've brought a higher turnout than if they just performed normally. Maybe Iwasawa wouldn't have disappeared so soon.

She was the first person to smile at him when he lost his memories. The first sign of happiness he could remember in the Afterlife was that of her smile. She shared sympathy with him on that day, and he would always look twice in her direction. Once so, he sees her and a second time to view the person she truly was: the music maniac or the ice queen with a gentle heart.

He had to understand. She could probably see why he doesn't.

"Iwasawa..."

No words came out of his mouth as he avoided her gaze, her expressions associated with the damaged feelings of losing someone. He knew exactly what all of the features on her face currently mean. With the recent weeks of him going through the series of emotions, he once again was unable to find the words to give and can only give her his feelings, to which any sensible human being would know that something like that was absurd. If he had to understand, he needs to face her. The promise he made to himself to adapt and push forward against any problem now became a controversial act of devotion.

He always disliked not being able to help, and it's the main reason why he became a doctor in the first place. If only God, whether the real or fake one, could grant him the powers to understand anyone and the world's problems. Maybe his worth as a human being would mean something.

No longer feeling the need to avoid her gaze, he cautiously raises his head to face her once more, his face now pleading for the answers he wanted.

As if she saw right through him, she laughed slightly. Not the reaction he had expected, but it was a start. Then it began; the raindrops' impacts began to hit outside in a slow but steady fashion. The weather's timing was convenient for the situation, but that worsened the mood as if a magical hand turned the lever of happiness down a couple of notches.

"Gomenasai, I didn't mean to put you through that, Yuzuru. My mouth speaks faster than I think," she apologized, turning away to wipe the single tear that trailed down her cheek. Nothing but silence from Otonashi as he continued to look at her. Her words came out of her mouth fast, as if an attempt to cover up the feelings she felt. She knew something he didn't, and he was keen to know. Being asked why he couldn't remember her brought up more questions once more, and he wasn't a stranger to having more questions than answers.

His hands down on his lap, Iwasawa turned back toward him and scooted closer, putting her hands on top of his. Even with her slightly damp hands, her warm hands gave him some reassurance, something he doubts a lot.

"Yuzuru, the reason why I wanted to ask you how you left the afterlife is that we both left the afterlife in different ways."

"..." Her claim didn't make any sense since they _did_ leave the afterlife in different ways. He tilted his head, relaying to her that he didn't understand what she meant.

"Agh, I messed up again."

 _It's okay..._ He said in his mind, but his mouth disobeyed the order to speak the words he wanted to say. It was the gut feeling of needing to remain silent.

"Otonashi, how did I disappear?"

"Uh..." He adjusts himself.

"My Song."

"Eh?" Iwasawa looks at him.

"You performed, 'My Song' during the operation to infiltrate Angel's lair. Then you disappeared."

"...And that was the last time I saw you."

Iwasawa takes her hands off his, slowly putting her right hand and cupped it against his left cheek, much to his astonishment as he continued to look at her. Her smile returned as their gazes refused to leave each other, locking them to prison.

Pat pat pat. The sound of muffled rain pierced through the walls of Otonashi's home, continuing to drop but raised in intensity as time passes by the second.

"Guess I found out my reason why you couldn't remember me, huh?"

"I didn't tell anyone what happened in the afterlife for a reason. After I met back up with Girls Dead Monster, they told me that they all left around the same time the shadows came."

He nodded to confirm what she said.

"They also said the shadows came, and you gave a speech on how the afterlife was meant to be a place where we could get back the lives we lost. But I lied to them. They didn't leave when the shadows appeared for me."

"In short, we both had very different experiences in the afterlife."

...

_What?_

"Iwasawa, I'm very lost."

She sighed. It just became tough to explain to him that she'll go through all the details.

"I don't blame you." Removing her hand from his face, she quickly stood up and had her hands behind her back, walking towards the window that displayed her bike's image. His view followed her as he remained on the couch, unmoving.

"Yuzuru, these memories...They are real to me. So please, take that into consideration when you speak again..."

"Because I don't know if I can handle it," Iwasawa stated shakily. The image of the cool beauty persona that Otonashi was familiar with began to break down. Taking the minute to compose herself and expecting no reaction from him, she continues.

"After you visited me and I told you my story, you came by day after day, and we just talked. You always had something interesting to talk about. Sound levels, vacuum cannons, stuff like that, and I was always surprised by the things you say. I wasn't aware of a lot since I always focused on my music."

"Yuri always expected the best of us, but the top brass always had our backs, so I had no reason to complain."

"Then, that day. When you guys had to infiltrate Angel's domain, when I sang, "My Song," I was satisfied, and I thought I could forget everything, but my world turned black."

"Yuzuru, you knocked me out to stop me singing."

"It was alright, though. It was beyond me to determine whether or not your action was merited, but Hisako and the band wouldn't have been able to go on. Even after all that, you continued to visit me and talk about something. You took my mind off my music. Not that it wasn't a bad thing, mind you."

"You joined our team for the baseball game, and we nearly won despite our losses. Then you said some weird thing on how I would kiss you if you shut them out."

"Afterwards, we talked about the lyrics to my songs and when you decided to take me out to the garden on a date."

"That's something I won't forget."

Her hands moved up to her chest, and she clutched it, trying to reach for the heart she desperately thought she didn't have, then she brought her left hand up to her face and inspected her ring finger.

"When you said you loved me, I was the happiest woman in the afterlife."

"That's when I realized I could've disappeared at any moment."

"I left you a letter that was your ring."

"I knew you would love someone else, and I didn't want to get in the way of that."

"So, I made the request that you forget about me."

"...Gomen," Iwasawa quickly put her hands down and walked to the door, opening it and stepping outside, leaving Otonashi in the room alone with his thoughts. His imagination of the scenes she described alongside his interpretations was broken when he realized Iwasawa stepped outside into what is now the pouring sky. She disappeared from the visible view, and the only thing left that was remotely visible the illuminated raindrops that fell in front of his door as a result of the light coming from the inside of his house.

Even though a couple of seconds passed, it seemed like an entire day. He couldn't wrap his mind around it, and whatever purpose the afterlife had was now wiped clean. The stories are different, and to what she said, it never happened in his experience of the afterlife.

Afterlife. Afterlife. Afterlife.

What redemption could one have if it continued to interfere in the lives of the people it scooped up? Did it hold the purpose of having people live the life they never had? His life and the others continued to revolve around the afterlife even after accepting their decisions to leave by its own rules, even after rebelling against it for so long that the battles became an endless circle.

Religions, folklore, and myths always preached about life after one's death, whether it was purgatory, heaven, hell, or some other interpretation that people believed in. They endured the reality of it, and the consequences were the memories it gave them. It was unknown to Otonashi if the memories that came from the afterlife served a purpose.

Happiness.

Maybe the answer was easier than he thought. The answer he had was correct all along.

He stood up and walked towards the door with heavy footsteps. The light within the room faded as he began to separate himself from the house, his eyes beginning to adjust with the outside becoming more visible. Stepping fully outside, he became victim to the heavy raindrops that began to flood down the aisles of the rooftop with no sign of stopping.

Finally, exposed to the cold air outside of his home, the sound of raindrops became clear as many of them drop simultaneously, creating the blanket effect that could block nearly any sound.

The figure he was looking for didn't go too far, with her hand on her shoulder as she stared straight forward. She walked a bit of distance and was close to her motorcycle, but that didn't stop him. She stood there as if she was waiting for someone. As if she was rejecting someone.

"Iwasawa."

"..."

The rain continued to drop, the sounds of each tear of the sky buried themselves into the ground. He takes a step forward.

Splash, a small puddle formed by the rain, was stepped on.

"Don't come," Otonashi stops in his tracks upon his encounter with her words.

"Don't come any closer."

The sound of her small voice was washed away, and yet his chest was hurt, stabbed. He could hear her voice in his head as it echoes. The uniform Otonashi wore began to stick to his skin as it switches states between dampened to soaked. The drops continued to fall onto both parties, both shivering from the cold. The warmth that surrounded them was gone, only existing back in the house they left behind.

The rainy season became just a tad more painful. With Otonashi unable to handle the silence, he takes a step forward again only to be interrupted.

"Why did you follow me? You should go back inside. I'll be back in a minute."

"..."

"I was only telling a story. You didn't need to come out here. You don't need to worry about me," her words spoke insecurity, unable to comprehend her reality.

"Don't say that," he replied slowly, the surrounding cold forces his voice to hold a deeper tone.

His reply was quickly answered and overshadowed by the pouring rain.

"The letter I wrote to you that was your ring, that applies to you too."

"You have to leave me alone. You can't be concerned with me, and I can't be concerned with you."

"..." Otonashi's silence remained, and the anger to his inability to speak to her despite all the things she said continued to build up. All the things she described him doing in her version of the afterlife was the man he wanted to be, even if it wasn't specific to her. The struggle continued as his fist curled and tightened into a ball. This anger buildup continued to spur as she didn't allow any room to be taught otherwise. Or rather, it was his inability to interrupt her to say anything.

The solution was easier than she thought, but he almost failed to consider the feelings of her. He can't say it. Now just wasn't the right time.

"The way we lived in the afterlife was real to me, but each day I think about it, the more I tell myself it didn't exist."

"Hearing not only the band I created but hearing the others left the same way makes it almost as if I was entirely left out like 'I' didn't exist."

_You're wrong..._

Iwasawa looked up to the sky, her head tilted back so the rain can fall on her face.

"The way I loved you was real. I still do."

Against her words of protest, he continued to walk forward, desperate to get a hold of her as she continued to berate herself for thinking wrong.

He stepped a bit closer than he thought and slowly embraced his arms around the cold Iwasawa. Their clothes began sticking to each other. Words can no longer express his feelings. It was too ambiguous, too predictable, and fake. Words are one of the most easily influenced aspects of communication, and mixed messages are better relayed through action. So he hugged her from behind and held her tight. If he didn't do anything, he'd regret it.

Their different heights allowed Otonashi to lean over her, shielding her from the rain and keeping her warm slightly. Her feelings were undoubtedly real, and he couldn't reciprocate them. Was it good enough for her?

"..."

"..."

"Do you know what you're doing?" Iwasawa asked.

His silence continued, only letting the warmth between them doing the talking.

Otonashi lay further doubt in his mind. What were his feelings? He knew what love was and wasn't tricked by it, but it continued to impede his ability to think clearly. Drunk, he would say.

"You pulled a cruel joke on me. You kissed me, and the rest of the band came in, saying it was a show. You played along with it, toying with me like I was some kind of fiddle."

"I ran off to the forest where no one would find me. That's when the shadows disappeared, and I realized you did it to save everyone. I couldn't hate you after that. I loved you all over again."

Their small breaths continued to reverberate from their chests as he continued to hold her.

"So...please don't be nice to me. If you do, I'll get the wrong idea."

"I had decided to forget trying at all."

"Stupid, you were impaled against a tree because you couldn't take it anymore. That's when I found you."

"I thought I was the stupid one for falling for you."

She moved a bit to get away from him, and he slowly let her go, only to find her turning around and facing him. Her head tilted a bit upward to be face to face. They both slightly moved forward, foreheads touching and leaning against her as his hands went to her waist and her hands gripped his arms.

Their hot breaths collided against each other as none of them moved, only waiting for the person in front of them.

That's when she leaned forward and pushed her lips against his. He knew no other way to reply other than pushing his lips against hers.

* * *

_Where had the time gone?_

It seemed as if only yesterday, he was still working at the hospital, rinsing and repeating his life of taking care of his sister and going home. Further back was the afterlife, or if referencing the timeline, he was in, the life before his. The fights between them and what they perceived as an enemy of God, seeking to find the truth of the world they lived in. The world that was constructed specifically for them.

What was supposed to be his redemption for being a deadbeat brother and giving his purpose in life was changed into one more chance to get it right and live happily ever after. If granted to certain people, they would use that opportunity to redo everything. Getting their lives back on track, making all the right decisions in their life from their mistakes. Others maybe wouldn't be so keen on fixing their life, but take advantage of the information they were given and use it for their nefarious needs.

He wondered if the people selected to go to the afterlife had to pass some sort of qualifications test, or if God just simply knew if a person would turn out alright. That probably wasn't the case, given the battlefront's illegal acts that Yuri had explained to him.

This morning wasn't good; he felt under the weather, so he decided to drown out the feelings of illness and sadness in music, failing to notice a couple of girls walking by, eyeing him.

"Otonashi, good morning!"

A voice spoke up from behind him as Otonashi flicked the stand on his motorcycle, bringing himself off it and taking off the black helmet. He ran his hand through his hair before looking behind him.

"Ah, Hinata, good morning," said nonchalantly, taking out his phone briefly to pause the music that was playing before unplugging his headphones and putting both his accessories away in their appropriate pockets.

"Looks like it rained last night. You heading down?"

"Yeah, didn't you say I had a medical exam or something?"

"Mm! Everyone in the battlefront needs to get a medical exam before they start training and get put into operations." Hinata explained. A couple of words put Otonashi in dismay.

"We have to train too?" He asked, lowering his head in annoyance.

"Of course, why wouldn't you? You'd be a better version of yourself, right?"

"I suppose. Anyway, hop on. I'ma lower the thing."

"Roger."

Otonashi clicks the button on the intercom, waiting a couple of seconds. The light magically turns on.

"Yo."

"Otonashi-san, there are people behind you," a familiar voice spoke.

"Eh?"

Both Hinata and Otonashi turn around simultaneously to look at what was adjacent to the intercom, only to see a couple of girls in school uniforms who quickly walked inside the mall after being spotted. Giggles and laughter could be heard as they disappeared from the view.

"Looks like you got a couple of fans, Hinata?"

"It's not me," Hinata claims, patting Otonashi on the back, before the platform lowers into the ground, bringing them back to the base underneath the mall once more.

A couple of minutes pass and both Hinata and Otonashi see themselves back in a familiar room that was Yuri's office.

"Yer friggin late, both of ya," Fujimaki spoke.

"We were late by a couple of seconds. It couldn't be helped, my man Otonashi got a few cute girls lookin' at him, right?" He smacked his best friend's back, grinning like a maniac. Otonashi turned his head and gave him a death stare, completely unsatisfied with the way his friend was acting and providing unnecessary details.

"Do you want to die?" Otonashi threatened, and Hinata got the idea, comically taking a large number of steps back.

"No...Sumimasen," he apologized, returning to his position beside Otonashi. He shook his head with a smile, letting Hinata know it was fine. While his response was far from the truth, it's just the nature of their friendship. However, even though they hold a close relationship of that sort in the afterlife and now, Otonashi intentionally neglected to tell Hinata the events that transpired the night before. It was natural to keep the details between Iwasawa and himself. Any disclosure would cause some disturbing rife within the organization, and the drama at the expense of others couldn't be afforded.

Looking for a place to relax while they continue to wait for everyone else to arrive, Otonashi picked a portion of the wall to lean against while Hinata stood beside him, looking at his phone. Otonashi took his time to examine the entire room to discover that everything was replicated from the afterlife. The table at the far end with Yuri's chair, the drop screen behind her, the couches in the middle. The only noticeable difference was the lack of windows and lighting. The room itself had no natural lighting, so it had to make use of manufactured lights and lamps. If Otonashi were to dig into the technical aspects of such, he wondered how much power the battlefront drawn than the mall, as they are very power-hungry. So far, he's only noticed typical appliances like outlets, lights, and everyday technologies like computers are utilized.

Stuff like that may not hold significance in a broader aspect. Still, if they're looking to maximize their anonymity, privacy, and security of their group, they will have to follow many security practices that are in violation.

While he holds these potential security flaws in and thinks about them often, a more pressing matter arose in Otonashi's thoughts. There appeared to be a miscount in the number of people that are actually inside Yuri's office. Mostly everyone who was named was present except Yuri, but there was a name he attempted to remember.

"Hinata."

"Hmm?"

"Yuri said we couldn't find Matsushita-godan, Naoi, and TK, right?"

Hinata nods.

"What about Yui?"

"Ah..." Hinata looked up into the air.

"We haven't found her yet, either. Guessing Yuri didn't tell you that?"

"No, she probably forgot."

"That's most likely the case."

"Got it. Thanks for answering my question."

"Mhm."

Her name was not mentioned when he initially asked Yuri to put him under the assumption that she was here with the rest of the group, but instead, it was omitted. Recalling back when the group came out, Yui was nowhere to be seen either. Did she forget about her?

Nonetheless, he received clarification from the second in command, so it shouldn't be a worry from here on out. Either way, another pressing concern was still in his mind.

Iwasawa.

He looked around the room, immediately spotting her on the couch, her legs crossed, and picking her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world, almost like she forgot what happened last night. Otonashi's pupil dilated upon viewing her, but his gaze interrupted when the sliding door opened to reveal Yuri with Yusa striding behind after quickly closing the door.

Yuri takes her respective seat, Yusa quickly taking her place in the corner of the room and becoming an idle doll. The leader in question proceeds to put on her white cap, leaning forward on the table.

 _She still has the cap?_ Otonashi thought to himself.

"Takamatsu-kun, begin with the daily report," Yuri commanded, to which Takamatsu responded by standing up and adjusting his glasses.

"Otonashi has officially returned to the battlefront but still requires a medical evaluation and qualification training before joining us for operations."

"Is that all?"

"No. The supplies we need for the next operation are at the guild, so we must all head down there later today by nineteen-hundred."

"Good to hear. That all?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, if that's all, dismissed!"

"That was the shortest briefing yet," Ooyama sighed as he leaned back onto his spot on the couch. The others sighed in relief as they began to calm down.

"Well, it couldn't be helped. We've had to make delays, and either way, we're still making preparations for the next operation, and we want to make sure everything is done right. "

Yuri's chair makes a squeaking sound as she stands up, removing her cap to reveal her purple hair and putting it back in the appropriate drawer.

"Otonashi-san, come with me. I'll take you to the medical bay," Yuri stated.

Otonashi grumbles though Hinata salutes him off.

"Once you're finished, meet me back here. We'll go out and get some food."

"Sounds good," Otonashi sticks his fist out, and Hinata gives him a fist bump.

Yuri looks at the two as she waits by the sliding door for Otonashi. Upon his arrival, they leave, closing the sliding door behind them, completely unaware that a set of eyes from a guitarist were watching them.


	7. Reason

"Oi oi, this is way out of the ordinary, Yurippe," Hinata said, trying to not yawn through his words.

"I know. Did you see Shiina and Takamatsu yet?"

 _Such a straight forward reply._ Hinata thought.

"Yeah, they both pulled up at the same time when I went down the elevator. You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"In a second. Let's wait for them," Yuri said. Upon inspection, Hinata noticed that she was extremely focused, staring dead straight ahead while seated on her desk. The dead stare could mean something of large concern that requires immediate intervention, but he wasn't aware of the magnitude of what she was going to tell them.

He attempted to think for a bit while he waited. She brought unnecessary tension to his mind when she called upon him to go back to the base as soon as possible. To his knowledge and senses, it could've been a situation that was critical to their wellbeings as well as the battlefront in its entirety. However, he registered the lack of people within the room. Surely a thing that would've warranted an emergency call in the middle of the day must've been an exceedingly serious matter.

The air sat still as both Hinata and Yuri continued to wait, both focused on their prospective thoughts, ideas, and understandings. He gulped loudly when the stillness was disrupted by vibrations that increased in intensity, the underwhelming shockwaves from each vibration going from his feet to the top of his head. The sound of quick footsteps filled the gap of missing information. The sliding door opened quickly, and two familiar figures entered, with one of them panting as if his lungs reached its functional capacity. One walked with a straight back while the other trailed behind the figure in front of him was nearly bent over. He must've been running.

Yuri put her head up, her face shadowed by the lights above her head, casting the ray of particles that expose details of anything within it's reach.

"Looks like we're all here," she said casually.

"All?" Shiina spoke, her cool demeanor unbreaking. It looks like she discovered the blunder in the room. Her perception is something to speak of as it extends far beyond the current scope of what's visible to the naked human eye, taking into detail every single hazard and possibility. In response to Shiina's question, Yuri slowly nods her head.

"Care to explain?" Shiina asked her, and in response, Yuri nodded once again, taking a deep breath.

"We've found Otonashi."

...

Visible expressions of shock except for the news breaker became apparent. All three members of the Afterlife Battlefront Top Brass reacted with their eyes, telling a much deeper story: The story of the man with resolve, how _he,_ who has fought an angel and defied the rules God set himself, found the truth of the world they called the afterlife. An adventure no one else in the world except their group of people could discern. The buildup to this sudden disclosure of news wasn't the climax of bad news after all.

Hinata swore he saw Shiina react the same way Takamatsu and he did. Her eyes lit up for a second.

"Where and how?" Takamatsu spoke suddenly while his lack of breath slowly recovered. His brain told his body to pick himself up. His hands returned to their original position from his thighs, now looking like a presentable man once more.

"Takeyama-kun was focused on finding the rest of the battlefront members for me to recruit them once again. He held out on me when I inquired about Otonashi-san. After some physical attempts to convince our hacker, he finally showed me his public record."

"Some of the information led to a specific website. It turns out Otonashi is doing well for himself. He followed his dream."

"That's amazing..." Shiina spoke, but her rather surprising reaction was quickly overtaken by her cold demeanor, returning the dead stare that Yuri constantly gave the rest of the battlefront.

"Now, why did you call us here?" The expression faltered to a poker face, completely unamused.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yuri replied.

"No."

The speed of her reaction was one not to be messed with. As expected from the self-proclaimed female shinobi.

"Shiina, that was too quick of a reply!" Takamatsu blurted out. The assassin of the battlefront spoke too soon, not bothering to hear the rest of the words Yuri wanted her to hear. She looked towards Takamatsu with her eyes, a clear scowl on her face. It wasn't an insult. It was spoken matter of factly. No one has talked to her in that fashion, and it was both unusual and quite despicable. She returned her eyes towards Yuri and crossed her arms.

"I don't want to participate in this operation."

"What?" Yuri said with a snap, looking towards Shiina, staring straight into her soul. She's been provoked, and the only capable women in the top brass are now at each other's throats, even though the distance between them remained the same. Hinata and Takamatsu, in awe of the responses to each other, could see and feel the electricity between the most powerful females they've encountered in their lifetime. Their leader's response to her declaration was warranted. It's no surprise to any of them how critical Otonashi was to convince them to move in a different direction. That direction led to nowhere except forward.

"Do I need to spell it out for you, Yuri?"

"Shiina," Hinata spoke her name in a pleading manner. His tone without explanation was telling her to relax with her word choices and responses. The amount of discord within the room brought exasperated the emotions of both Hinata and Takamatsu, their opinions silenced by the immense conversation they had the privilege to bear witness to. Both sides continued with their bitter stares at each other, completely disregarding the males that stood alongside them like they were background noise. The disrespect was genuine for all parties except for the males.

"Yes. I don't understand your viewpoint."

"Fine," she replied cooly, unfolding her arms.

Shiina walked backward and took a seat on the couch. At that moment, all the stress that piled on the room seemingly vanished into thin air, and the temperature was knocked down a couple of degrees. Still unmoving from the rapid change of the room they are in, Hinata and Takamatsu could only blink.

"Yuri, do we really need Otonashi?"

Both males were hit simultaneously with a dagger of hurt, and yet Shiina only asked a question. They both were about to say something when Shiina raised her hand in a gesture for them to wait. In her mind, she held a hypocritical stance against them, thinking that they reacted too quickly to what she said. The self-proclaimed female ninja was a person of logic and efficiency. While it wasn't necessarily one of her values, the concept was held dear to heart since her missions required it. There wasn't room for emotions.

"Yes, we do."

"Is it another one of your hunches?"

"No."

"If your hunches aren't telling you anything, then why are we going to bother with recruiting Otonashi back?"

"Even IF it was a hunch, it's still a waste of time."

Yuri took a small break, taking a deep breath before playing out her reasons for Otonashi's return.

"The decisions I make behind my hunches are deliberate. I can't simply act upon just a 'hunch' as many people say," Yuri stopped after she finished her sentence, looking at Shiina to get the go-ahead to continue. Shiina nods.

"There are certain hunches where I once thought I was crazy for thinking them. I thought about it, and a lot of the time, they make sense logically. Noda-kun would say that I act on my hunches, but that's simply not true. I don't act on all of them. An understanding has to be made between going off a hunch and taking a risk. Some of the risks I took were calculated based on possible results that I could think of."

"Putting Otonashi in the top brass was a no brainer. His decision to discover the truth first hand the moment he woke up was the main reason. Everyone comes like that seeking the truth, but they _never_ acted as he did. They sucked it up and joined us with little effort."

"All the actions he took led up to what we have now. We can't predict the future, but it was because of him, we were able to find peace with ourselves."

"My point is: He's led us paths we never took the time to understand. We can't find Matsushita-godan, Naoi, or TK. This isn't the same as the afterlife, where even if we die, we come back alive. This time, we run the risk of dying and not coming back."

"We need people, Shiina-san. We're stepping foot into dark areas we haven't explored, and he'd be a great asset to us."

Shiina sighed, shaking her head in disapproval.

"You see him as an asset?" The shinobi asked.

"Of course."

Shiina stayed quiet for a second and then readjusted herself on the couch she sat upon.

"While it may be true that he's an asset, it's still a waste of time."

"You haven't explained your side, Shiina-san. Hinata-kun, Takamatsu-kun, what are your thoughts?"

There was the look that Hinata saw earlier. That brief display of concern that Shiina showed very clearly. This time, everyone in the room saw the expression on her face, even if one couldn't physically see it. The timing of her pause and how her body slightly lowered itself. That expression of concern wasn't just concern in itself. It was both concern AND doubt, which was rare to see for the shinobi, who never doubted herself or her decisions.

She's made clear choices and never looks back on them. Her attitude remained consistent through the afterlife and now. Her look of doubt and concern was now stuck in the back of Hinata's mind, causing him to doubt his original view on the situation.

"I believe we should bring him back," Takamatsu stated. His heartfelt feelings on the matter were not one of a liar, for Otonashi held a special place in the battlefront and the people within it. He continued, beginning with the logical explanation to back up those feelings.

"His dream was to become a doctor or something, right? We need people with medical expertise in the battlefront. Back then, there were no hospitals, nothing medical-related that we would have to worry about. That alone is a major change and something we need to cover. None of us are doctors or medics."

"We need him. That's my personal belief. It wouldn't be bad to see him again."

Hinata became eager, forgetting all the mix of aggressive emotions against Shiina in favor of listening to Takamatsu speaking nothing but facts. In its current stage, the battlefront did not have adequate means of medical training or the understanding of the human body when injuries occur. While some understand first aid to varying degrees, they currently didn't have anyone who would perform check-ups or know anything relating to combat injuries. There was talk amongst the top brass for hiring doctors of various medical fields trained in that aspect. The talk regarding medical personnel also pertained to those of combat medics when they conduct operations. While that specific subject advanced and has become a close reality, they still lacked medical personnel and didn't want to trust the people they hired to be part of the top brass.

It can go without saying that the battlefront was desperate for Otonashi to return.

"Man, I'm with him on that. He's capable and perceptive." Hinata followed after. The anemic argument mostly relied on Takamatsu's words.

"It'd be nice to have him back."

Yuri looked over to Shiina, the female assassin unmoved but still had that soft look. They all stared at her, waiting for her argument.

"Yuri, Otonashi-san doesn't need to come back here."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he's already done enough for us," she said. Those who weren't Shiina had the eyebrows furrowed as they waited in anticipation for her to continue.

"We're only thinking about us. Our purposes and needs, but what about him? Otonashi-san has told us the truths of the world, and no one has stopped talking about it. Our daily lives have become what we were accustomed to in the afterlife. All we do right now is fight for ourselves, but we haven't won. You said yourself, Yuri, he's moved on. There isn't a need for him to come back because he did what **we** can't do: move on."

"Look at us. Look at you. Takamatsu-kun, Hinata-kun, look where you stand," Shiina said, looking at each person as she spoke. As if they were ordered, they both simultaneously looked down. They understood what she meant, but it was the individual they controlled in terms of where they stood. The person that they are.

"Look at me. I'm still here following your orders cause I don't have any other reason to do otherwise. I stand beside you Yuri, just like everyone else."

"However, this isn't something I agree with. It's foolish."

Silence became natural, and the surprise was apparent. Shiina stood up, and the leather cushion she sat on squeaked as it slowly returned to its original form. She walked towards Yuri's desk and bowed her head down.

The last one that they would expect showed her true feelings.

Hinata and Takamatsu began to regret their selfish and personal feelings. Their arguments were valid, but she was more right than anyone else in the room. Maybe that's why Takeyama held out on Yuri cause he knew the same thing.

"...Can I ask you to forgive him?"

"He had no choice but to become what we asked of him when we forced him."

"When we became free of our eternal battles, we only went back on his word. Now we're deciding on bringing him back for another round."

"He has no place here, Yuri. It's time we leave him alone."

* * *

"It's only been a few days. How are you holding up?"

"Oh, uh," Otonashi scratches behind his head, indicating his uncomfortable feelings.

It was an unreal set of events for Otonashi. A world where people are expected to fight the battles of their past lives wouldn't revitalize the memories they had of that world. They were satisfied with themselves and had others alongside them to help others who couldn't live out their lives properly. The afterlife is an impossible concept to discern. It wasn't 'real,' and reincarnations are just different versions of themselves, so how could they have the ability to remember something that wasn't 'real'?

Even after arguments of such a topic, he found his reason to move on and came back to the real world, given the second chance that many others wish they'd have. His whole timeline became a reiteration of what he had hoped to achieve, and when he was finally successful, his reason for his goal disappeared before him. He couldn't cry or feel sad about it anymore, but there was this disturbing and repelling taste in the back of his mouth, his body telling him that he had to. It continued to pester him. All he could understand was that if he didn't cry or feel sad about her anymore, he wasn't human. No one moves on that quick with such a huge reason for continuing his life.

Weeks can feel like a decade, and he already thought it'd been an eternity.

"It's alright, I suppose."

Yuri and Otonashi walk side by side on their way to the medical area. While it's been only a bit, Otonashi was still trying to understand the base's layout. Beyond the security post that he saw when he came in the first time with Hinata lay an entirely separate area that was too complex to describe at first glance. The walls kept their same look, but the main area split off into different but short hallways. At the end of each hallway held a stairwell which led only down, heavily implying that there were more floors than the one he was on.

While understanding new things takes a bit getting used to, it didn't help how he felt under the weather. Specifically, he felt a lot hotter than usual, and the exact cause was unknown to him. This obstacle couldn't have been a result of last night with Iwasawa. He didn't want to think too much about that, but the task was a lot easier said than done. His increased temperature didn't impede his thoughts, but it kept making him uncomfortable. He adjusted his collar multiple times while they continued walking, letting air in to provide temporary relief.

"Otonashi?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay? You keep readjusting your collar." They both simultaneously stop walking, and he looks toward Yuri. He sort of already knew from the look she gave that she was concerned. It was natural, after all.

"Sort of. I just feel a bit hot, like I have a minor fever." Otonashi pulls on his collar once again.

"Eh? It's somewhat cold down here," Yuri explains, combing her forelocks away and moving her forehead towards Otonashi's.

He quickly takes a step back and avoids her, overestimating his step as he was an inch away from the wall.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just going to take your temperature," she stated, but he was against the idea. Her actions already warranted the lackluster response of him avoiding her, but he was surprised by her boldness to do such an unordinary thing.

"There's really no need for that..."

"Stay still, Otonashi-san," Yuri barked at him. There wasn't much he can do, and he only had two options, either to run or to submit. A second passed, and the option of running away disappeared as she grabbed onto his shoulders and pushed him against the wall firmly, placing her forehead against his. With his head against the wall, he was sandwiched between a hard, cold wall and a soft yet warm forehead that belonged to his leader.

"It doesn't seem like you have a fever," she states. Her forehead remains against his as she communicates with him, her hot breath hitting against his nose. Her breath dispersed all over his face, tickling the little bits of hair that were close to his ears. The scene looked inappropriate to him, and he secretly hoped that she would get off soon, as it looked like they were about to kiss.

"Is that so...?"

She pulls herself off him, unembarrassed by the situation that she forced him into. Even if it were the case that they were, he wouldn't understand the basis of it, and it wouldn't sit right with him. There was no indication of her motives, and in his view, they've only seen each other as trustworthy friends. It would only make him feel worse because of the situation with Iwasawa the night before and that he was trying not to think of as much as he could.

"Perhaps you're beginning to feel sick or something."

"I guess."

"Well, good thing we're on the way to the medical bay. Our doctor can check you out."

Hopefully, the doctor says something that distracts him.

* * *

"Yeah, looks like you got a minor fever," The white coat battlefront physician said to Otonashi. He took out the thermometer wrapped in sterile paper out of his mouth, properly disposing of that paper in the assigned trash cans and placing the thermometer back in its casing. The doctor took off his black latex gloves, disposing of it in the same trash can.

"What? Seriously?" Yuri asked, dumbfounded. She was clearly disappointed that she couldn't determine whether or not he had a fever.

"There's a reason why both of us are doctors, and you aren't," Otonashi joked.

A scream came through one of the medical room doors. A battlefront member from the outside looked at the room before resuming his work, not wanting any involvement.

* * *

Instead of walking side by side, Otonashi trailed behind Yuri as she leads him back to the office where Hinata awaited him. His inability to stay beside Yuri was not just out of fear, but the fact that his right foot was injured because of her. Even after all that line of events, the doctor cleared him to begin training and to prepare for future operations with the battlefront.

"Hurry up!"

"Can't you see I'm struggling here?!" Otonashi yelled back at her.

"Shut up!"

"Can you at least help?"

"Nope!"

Yuri trotted on ahead of him at the same pace she was, but he smiled and lightly chuckled.

By the time Otonashi arrived back at the office, Yuri was sat back down on her seat, typing away on her laptop.

"So, you're clear?"

"Mhm."

"Awesome!" Hinata put his arm around Otonashi, who just smiled nervously at him but felt back at home. He would identify many places like home, but the others felt like his true home. No family or friends could ever replace the bond that he held with his team. It was the difference between them that mattered and what made sticking with the battlefront worthwhile.

Time passed as Hinata and Otonashi returned topside, taking the Afterlife Battlefront patches off their shoulders and pocketing them before walking into the mall. It's been a significant amount of time since they were due to Otonashi's medical exam.

"You didn't wait too long for me, did you?"

"No, I just watched some videos while I waited. However, it was long enough that I've become more hungry. Asshat."

"Sumimasen," Otonashi apologized.

"It's alright. It makes the food taste better." Both of them walked through another set of doors that introduced them to another section of the mall, leading them on a long journey to the origins of food.

Otonashi and Hinata walked over to the mall's food court area, walking past people of various age groups with their own intents and purposes. Grabbing their selected dishes from the same restaurant, they quickly wolfed down their food and cleaned off their table of the little mess they made. Around them were some members of the battlefront, obvious with the uniforms and the missing patches. Otonashi never paid attention to his surroundings, but he always finds something new when he looks to the corner of his eye.

It actually made a bit more sense. Many battlefront members with the same uniform make it seem like they went to a local school or similar. The electrical signals reached his synapses, and he made the connection. The number of similar uniforms made camouflaging in the general area a lot easier, especially when using vehicles of sorts. His dislike of Hinata's explanation still stood tall as he didn't clarify it enough.

The two walked outside after their meal, bellies full, and sat on the sidewalk, chatting as the sun passed through the sky. While it was still morning, noon quickly approached.

"You think anyone's from the afterlife changed so far?" Otonashi asked.

"Personally? I don't think so. It's been a while since we've all joined back up, so you're not wrong for saying that."

"Want to hear how we finally got to you?"

"Sure."

"Yuri was the one who ordered us to watch you."

"Well, I sort of knew that." Otonashi stretched out his legs, putting his hand behind him for support before sitting back normally.

"Yeah. She dubbed it 'Operation Medical Watch.' We watched you from afar and made sure you didn't do anything bad."

"What a name. I'm guessing it had something to do with my line of work?"

"Bingo."

"Alright, I can sort of see that. Let me get one thing clear, though, since I'm still doubting myself," Otonashi said, turning to Hinata.

"You mean all those people that paid for my coffee and bribed my bosses...?"

"Yeah, that was us. Mostly the guild." Otonashi returned his gaze to the sky.

"The Guild? You guys have that huge industrial city below the mall too?" He asked him, blinking rapidly as if he was about to say yes.

"No, they work at some big warehouses nearby. If you think about it, it's sort of the same thing. Some of them work underneath the warehouses while some work above," Hinata informed him before he continued.

"Going back to that, the guild underwent some changes when we met back up. It was a gradual start but since some guild members didn't return for god knows what reason, they had to make subdivisions of the guild and assign certain people to them."

"Y'all didn't have something like this back in the afterlife?"

"Not this elaborate, no. Now I think around five subdivisions. Two manufacturing subdivisions, one for security, one for logistics, and one for research and development. The research and development subdivision focuses more on the combat aspect rather than making guns better."

"How do you mean?"

"They give recommendations of what weapons and equipment for us to use in certain operations. They taught us a bit more like concealed carrying, even convinced Yuri to make it mandatory for all of us top brass folk to carry at all times."

"Oh, you don't have a gun on you, right, Otonashi?"

"No, I don't," Otonashi shook his head.

"We'll head back down in a bit, and I'll check you one out. I digressed a bit far, though. Where was I?"

"The operation to watch over me?"

"Right. There were only a select people designated to watch over you and quote on quote make your life easier."

"May I ask...?"

"Takeyama monitored your online activities, and Takamatsu staked out your place."

"I don't know if I should be really worried about that," Otonashi said dully. The extents they took to watching him seemed too far for his taste.

"We understand your pride," Hinata saluted him. "Though what was interesting was how it all started. Yuri called us up for a meeting, but it didn't exactly go the way meetings normally go."

"Shiina was against the idea of you coming back."

Otonashi turned quickly towards Hinata once more, surprised by the fact that people opposed him returning to the battlefront. Otonashi gave it some thought, and he could sort of understand her viewpoint. She had some sort of thing against him when he was able to reach the guild with Yuri.

"Woah, Shiina?"

"Yeah. If you want a long story short..." Hinata scratched the back of his head. "She said you deserved better, and I'd have to agree with her on that."

"I don't understand," Otonashi stared at his own hands, extremely dumbfounded. **She,** of all people, said that?

"She said that it would be a waste of time to bring you back to the battlefront because we'd be only repeating history. The battlefront waged an endless war against Angel when she only tried to help us move on. I'm guessing she thought we would go down the same path except for this time; if we do die, we aren't coming back."

...

"It was pretty intense. You could feel them glaring at each other. You have a knack for attracting girls or something?"

"Tch, I hope not." It may have seemed that way as if it was destined, but he really didn't see anyone in that sort of fashion. That's what Otonashi thought, at least.

"Shiina refused to take part in the operation, but then Yuri made a compromise. She said it so no one could directly recruit you back here and only made sure you lived well."

"So Shiina's been watching too then?"

"Mhm. She was a lot closer to you than you think."

"Egh."

"No, I get it. It's stalking by definition," Hinata chuckled. "But we wanted to make sure you were okay."

The way he put it in made Otonashi a bit more comfortable.

"What about you?"

"Me? I didn't have to take part in it, and I didn't. I agreed with Shiina's points."

"..." He remained silent before he felt a pat on his back.

"Let's go. I'll check you out the stuff you need. "

"Alright."

Otonashi stood up and followed Hinata back, where they entered from with the battlefront armory as their destination.

They made their way, taking the platform down, and continued to the armory.


	8. Foregoing

"Every thought you've ever had, Otonashi-san, is your own personal interpretation. There are plenty of times where we see eye to eye, but those thoughts are ours alone. People always ask what normal is. It's just based on how they interpret what's considered normal to them."

"You asked if people don't understand the concept of normality, right?"

"Of course, they do."

**Eri Shiina**

* * *

What Shiina preserved from her existence as a child was her serenity. Completely undisturbed, only beginning to understand the world around her. Human instinct ran her life, guided by two mysterious figures that sought a bond with her and treating her with the utmost love and compassion. She never knew why but happily accepted it without a second thought. Using those mysterious figures she saw whenever her eyes opened from early morning, she was told by them every day to wake up early, go to school, work, eat, and sleep. She grew older, finding out how to address both of them: mother and father.

Following the lifestyle of a growing baby, she wanders around her village from time to time, gathering every piece of information that embraced her retinas and eardrums. After that, she returns home to repeat the same process. She pulled her weight alongside her parents. Farming, cutting, braiding. Whatever was asked of her, she learned and attempted to master. She lacked the fondness of using knives and handheld tools, preferring to use her hands. Having never been experienced with knives and other tools, she only saw them as another thing to handle when she could easily rip something apart. The dexterity and already-developed calluses only made tasks easier to complete. One day an injury to her hand came due to her trying to play with a knife, cutting through the callus and causing bleeding.

Her parents ogled her with curious looks upon discovering the injury, only to be completely ignored by their child's rampant thoughts. She made a revelation, and she will find every use for it. She happily took over any tasks that required a knife to find different techniques to cut effectively. She then discovered the sharpness of knives and how they factored when cutting things, so she learned to maintain them.

It wasn't too long before her thirst to discover something new led her astray.

"Eri! Why did you cut yourself!? How could you do something so reckless!?" Her mother screamed at her, desperate to find the answer as she held onto Shiina's arm, attempting to stop the bleeding. Shiina had cut herself; the extents of the injury were unknown but can be assumed to be large as blood spilled from the pieces of cloth her mother put on top. He attempted to wrap a long piece of cloth around the kid's arm with the father beside her mother.

"I sharpened it. I wanted to see how deep it could go," she replied weakly. A doctor ran into the Shiina household, panting heavily as he began to work alongside her parents, giving them orders as Shiina's senses began to dull.

Shiina survived, remaining in the care of people who rotated throughout the weeks. The rotations consisted of various people, typically her neighbors and parents, while the doctor maintained a set visitation schedule. The weeks passed as the road to recovery for young Shiina was slow.

For poor Shiina, technology wasn't advanced. Wars were fought with bows, arrows, and swords. Medicine was no exception. The only thing that kept her from succumbing to the threats of infection was that cleanliness was a concept that applied to their daily lives. However, cleanliness to them only paled in comparison to the modern world. Measures like isolation and covering up the entire body of an individual were learned at a great cost, resulting in many others' deaths before them. Thanks to their deaths, those in the future would have a better chance of surviving. It was human instinct, after all.

Shiina eventually made a recovery, but not without repercussions. Her parents have made it a rule for her to stay away from any sharp object. It wasn't that she minded; the pain and experience of her cutting herself were more than enough to persuade her not to bother. Besides, there was a constant reminder right on her right forearm: a long scar that ran from her wrist to her elbow. It was unsightly, bringing pain and discomfort to her every time she viewed or thought of it. Bringing the concern up to her father, he gave her black armguards from his time in the military to solve her problem. Even though the armguards' size was a bit big on her, it was more than enough for her to fix the problem. She became accustomed to wearing them everywhere with special exceptions.

It was then her mother slowly began teaching her daughter how to act like a woman. While Shiina was taught many related things in her course of growing up, she began to take much more of a refined role, such as learning how to speak and act. The roles of women were traditional: they handled everything from shopping to managing the household.

Time after time, Shiina questioned their family, wondering if they differ from the others within their village. The only noticeable difference is the number of men who served in the military. She thought it distinguished her family, and she wasn't wrong. They held a bit of a higher class but what she never realized was how well treated she was compared to other households. She couldn't be blamed for that was her normal life.

Unfortunately for young Shiina, times began to change as wars brewed on the horizon. Both men and a small number of women were called to serve in the local military by a local messenger. Rival clans of similar size wreaked havoc across the land, with different factions popping up amongst those clans to finally rule Japan. The timer for relative safety began to run out as smoke was seen in a village not too far away from where they live now. It became a signal for alarm as all villagers rushed quickly to defend their homes and livelihoods. Barricades were set up with haste, swords were manufactured, and support from the military in the form of caravans full of samurais and horses rumbled into the village. In cooperation between the village people and the military, the town became a fortress within a week.

Every person knew what was at stake, and many understood it would mean death if they were to submit to the unknown enemy.

Although children were unable to comprehend the gravity of the situation, they aided in their village defense. All of them, including Shiina, became a symbol of hope for the village, and morale soared. The villagers and military began to see each other as equals and understood the message of partnership and cooperation. As the defenses continue to get hastily fortified, women and men were not separated by class or status. Children were not separated by knowledge or status. Everyone contributed in one form or another.

Freedom or death was the motto they began to live by as they waited for enemy troops to march on top of them. Reinforcements from the military were on the way from a different battle location but would take a couple of days to reach them. A battalion of battle-hardened samurai is what the village was expecting. Those that believed in any form of god or deity sent their prayers in hopes of living another day.

It was then Shiina was quickly trained to learn how to use a weapon. Still a bit weak, a full sword or any other weapon wouldn't suit her needs and make her combat ineffective. Instead, her father quickly taught her how to slash and stab with a kodachi, which she learned with relative ease, although she had doubts about how practical it would be when attacking someone.

Shiina became accustomed to the schedule and fell asleep as any ignorant child would. That was when her mother rudely awakened her in the middle of the night.

"Eri!" Shiina's mother called out to her with a deep sense of urgency. On instinct, Shiina went immediately to the kodachi beside her but quickly recognized the person who woke her up wasn't a threat. Waking up quickly, she was only picked up the snippet of her name when her mother spoke. She then proceeded to get dragged feet stumbling towards one of the hastily made lines with kodachi in hand, though she didn't resist. She was let go, standing beside her mother as she rubbed her eyes to see properly. In front of her lay down many barriers composed of parts from houses, with sharpened wooden poles facing the same direction she was. Beyond that was the land lit with moonlight. The ground beneath Shiina's feet was of extremely high elevation and well above any natural barriers that would've posed some sort of obstacle if they were beside one.

The ground that Shiina faced was a slope that gradually began to flatten out further than that was the enemy. The dust of their footsteps and the smoke from their torches lit up their approach quite well, but they moved fast towards the town. The long-range gave an illusion of a slow-moving target, which was not the case.

Everyone stood in silence and anticipation as they watched the enemy forces approach steadily.

...

The ground's rumbling increased, and everyone simultaneously gripped their teeth, weapons in hand, and began to stick them out. Different people of the town began to come out of the houses with weapons in hand, some with children following behind them.

Shiina looked behind her to view the aforementioned people, then quickly turned back to face the enemy that was to appear before them, before her heart rate increased as she unconsciously took a step back, one hand tightened around her kodachi and the other in front of her in a battle stance.

Nervousness began to seep into Shiina's mind as she continued to take steps back unknown to her mother. Breathing labored, she knew something bad was going to happen, and it had never occurred to her now. The nervousness combined with labored breathing increased Shiina's stress, almost to the verge of crying.

That was when Shiina turned around and ran back towards her house, her heavy feet colliding with the ground before a voice yelled at her.

"Eri!" Her mother yelled for her. As if it was a command, Shiina stopped dead in her tracks but refused to do anything else. She heard her mother's rampant footsteps behind her before being embraced by her from behind. She then felt the breath of her mother beside her left ear. Scared, but not alone.

"It's okay. Hide inside the house and wait for us."

Her mother let her go, and she hears her mother begin walking away. That was when she began to regret her decision to run away. She was scared, and her mother told her it was okay. She wanted to be with her and her father, but he was nowhere to be found. However, fear had won the battle against courage, and she ran to the house, leaving the door open and hiding in her bedroom with her knees against her torso.

The rumble only increased, and a large roar of voices erupted from outside. Shiina wrapped her knees with her arms and hugged them tightly, hoping to make herself smaller.

Swords clang, and the yells of war commenced the battle for the town she resided in. What stood out to her was the number of steps making noise outside, specifically a combination of four subsequent steps. She made an inference that there were horses here, to which she only hoped it belonged to the good guys.

The fighting then changed from one direction to nearly every single direction. The sounds of warfare and bloodshed were no longer focused on the walls and defenses but rather through the entire town itself.

It didn't take long for the fighting to cease.

What was before an assembled force of both townspeople and military soldiers became a decimated, non-existent garrison. Bodies littered throughout the town of both enemy forces and the town's garrison. Some bodies had their limbs sliced off, others had clear punctures, and some were beheaded. It was clear that blood spilled out of their bodies, painting the town in a bright red. The color didn't contrast well as the town's defenses had set up shined a bright orange on the rest of the town. The enemy forces set the defenses ablaze, forcing the townspeople to defend their individual homes and other choke points, which cost them the battle.

It should be said that the battle didn't fare well for the opposing force, either. The number of casualties they suffered was double the amount of townspeople and military. The opposing force was unaware that their victory was a short-lived one: a pyrrhic victory. While their numbers were nearly three times greater than the garrison in the town, a fair majority of their force was wiped out.

The talking amongst the enemy quiet down, and the remainder issued an order to search houses that weren't searched during the battle. Shiina remained stuck in place, unable to move as she was directed to hide and wait by her mother. Unknown to her, while the search parties were looking for more people to execute, another batch of soldiers arrived to gather the fallen bodies. It separated them from the townspeople and the local military.

Amongst the developing mound of bodies lies her mother and father, both stabbed and slashed in different ways.

As one of the final houses, a samurai walked into the Shiina household and searched carefully to look for any survivors. Walking into Shiina's bedroom, she was discovered with her arms wrapped around her legs, not looking at anything but her skin.

Thinking she was an armed adult, the samurai experienced a surge of adrenaline, raising his sword above his head, ready to strike her when his mind finally told him that she was definitely a child of some sort. Hesitation took over his mind, sheathing his sword and kneeling.

Shiina looks at the figure in front of her, not recognizing him but continued staring, waiting for his next move. The samurai looked at the kodachi she gripped in her hand.

Taking every step he can very slowly, he proceeds takes off his helmet and sets it in front of her legs, now adjusting his posture to where he began sitting in a seiza position. Using this opportunity to calm down, he takes deep breaths and observes the child in front of him.

The movements he made allowed Shiina to see him in a different light. She associated with him an animal showing empathy and mercy. To her, that just means the animal was an ally. She knew this was no animal but a human being.

She kept an eye on him, moving the kodachi and motioning for him to take it. While it seemed it might have been a poor attempt to stab the person in front of her, she was instead offering her weapon to him, like some sort of exchange for his helmet.

He shook his head and smiled, finally opening his mouth.

"Keep it."

* * *

What Shiina remembered from one of her assassination missions was how quiet it was. The breeze of the air shifted around her as she stood on top of one of the tallest structures in the area she was operating in. If she took the opportunity to look up, she would see the grayish-dark sky, unable to see the stars because of the light pollution that replaced the sky's natural lighting. That same light pollution highlighted the clouds and somewhere in that same sky was the moon in whatever phase it was. When she opened her mouth, the cold, brisk air would quickly replace the inside warmth generated by her body. Yet she never shivered, never breaking concentration on her objective. The air around her made contact with her skin and, by the laws of thermodynamics, attempted to suck the warmth away from her to reach equilibrium. Her skin turned cold but never quaked or creaked.

The amount of control she held over her own body was unheard of. It was inhuman, and she perfected that inhuman ability to a perfect art. Anyone would attest such thing to her insane concentration, and while it was true, the training to achieve such a level is something she refused to disclose. A lot of details about her were never truly discovered by anyone. Only the little snippets of what she claimed in the afterlife are what people knew.

Her return to the battlefront was no ordinary feat, either. Her initial statement when her assumed reincarnation occurred was one of uncertainty. She expected to be returned to the era she belonged to as a shinobi but instead returned, waking up in the middle of a park within Tokyo. After quickly getting her bearings, she reached the obvious conclusion that she didn't return from where she came. While her skills and reflexes remained, she suffered from temporary amnesia. When she finally regained her memories from the afterlife, she was dissatisfied but not angry. She reasoned with herself on all the possible reasons that led up to her circumstances.

One thing she understood from all the possible reasons was that God, if there was one, wasn't done with her yet.

Shiina's ears tingle a bit. The structure she stood upon was not one of a tall office skyscraper but was rather a tower of outstanding architecture inspired by France's Eiffel Tower. It creaked and moaned, the metal parts held together by talented craftsmanship as tidal waves of wind hit the structure every so often. Due to the tower's profile, there was a serious lack of buildings around her except for two. It would be a terrible place for any purpose other than sightseeing, but that wasn't too far from the truth.

**"Shiina, this is Ooyama, message, over."**

A familiar voice spoke through her left ear, grabbing her attention. Finding the volume and placement a bit uncomfortable, she pushed in her earpiece, re-seating it properly. The earpiece in her left ear was linked to a clear tube that connected to a throat microphone. The cord that connected the microphone went through her combat shirt. Above her left breast was a large button that, when pressed, would begin transmitting on the channel selected on her radio. The cord finally went through a hole specifically made for the communication device on the right side of her shirt, connecting to a bulky radio that sat in a pouch looped through her belt.

One of the first things that someone gets issued when they rejoin the battlefront was a code name, usually derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet by Yuri's orders. She claimed that it made them seem more military-like. Since English was a universal language, it would help identify them in future operations, especially when conducted alongside other groups.

Sierra was her code name, something that was recently issued to her. It dawned upon the battlefront that in their operations, they need to operate on entirely different standards compared to the battles they fought against Angel in the afterlife. The antagonists that they face may have resources that can cause problems down the line. Real names were not a good idea to use over the radio, leading them to utilize code names and follow certain protocols when communicating. While out of the ordinary compared to what she was referred to as a shinobi, it was completely logical. Her personal feelings, although hard to address, was something she always discarded with no second thought.

The fact that Ooyama didn't use her code name and his own irritated her. She sighed, wanting to give him a proper correction without taking up much of radio traffic. She pressed the button above her breast, and a little light turned red, indicating the radio was transmitting.

 **"This is Sierra. Send traffic,"** Shiina replied, adding extra emphasis to her code name. Ooyama didn't reply in an instant, presumably cursing at himself for making a mistake. It may have been something simple, but something as such could be disastrous. The green light on her radio turned on, indicating someone else was transmitting.

**"I got a person with a long backpack and a balaclava around the fiftieth staircase of the building just east of you. The building with the sign that says, 'Xeron LLC.'"**

**"Copy, standby,"** She replied.

Shiina turned her attention to her east, spotting the building with the aforementioned words, brightly lit up in white. She proceeds to lay down to minimize her profile of being seen, quickly unclipping the binoculars attached to her belt. Placing the binoculars over her eyes, she quickly observed the building that Ooyama mentioned, finding the fiftieth story in no time. Since the building was much like a skyscraper, many rooms had glass as a protective layer. Ooyama mentioned a staircase, so she turned her attention to the corners of the fiftieth floor but couldn't see anything significant or matching the description he provided. What differed from the staircases on the corner was that they did have glass as the outer layer, but the rest was just wall except for a tiny window smack dab in the middle. She pressed the transmit button, still holding the binoculars with her left hand.

**"Which side of the building?"**

**"It was the uhhh…from your view, the left side, bearing 0-7-6."**

Even though Ooyama noted the specific direction to her, her attention was grabbed by a black figure on the window of the staircase he described. The movement that can be seen through the window was a constant up and down motion as if the person was looking down and trying to grab something. Due to the distance she had from the person's location, the image that Shiina's eyes processed was blurred.

The person in both Ooyama and Shiina's view wasn't going up the stairs. They were there for a reason. What confirmed it was the little glass pieces that broke off from the window when she continued observing it.

" **I have eyes on the person. They just broke the glass.** " Shiina declared over the radio. Maintaining her observation with binoculars, on the one hand, she keeps her other hand on the transmit button. She then notices more glass pieces that got pushed out and see a large but thin black object protrude out of the window. There was no other reason someone would do something like that.

The exact view from where the person is was adjacent to the objective she was trying to protect. There was no other deduction necessary. It's a firearm: a sniper or designated marksman rifle of some sort.

Shiina pushes the transmit button with urgency.

**"Oscar, this is Sierra. They have a sniper."**

" **...** " Static erupted for a second before the transmission was cut.

Four seconds pass, and Shiina sees the object get jostled quickly before the steadiness behind that firearm fell apart. The object then slowly tilted upwards before the momentum forced the firearm to retreat inside. Smiling, she stands up in a crouching position and places the binoculars to her side before pressing the radio transmission button.

 **"** **That was a confirmed kill. Good shooting,"** she congratulated the sharpshooter. Ooyama, on the other hand, was then pressing on the transmit button for a couple of seconds but didn't say anything before the words came through.

**"Sierra, I got another person in the same description, climbing up the ladder directly below you."**

The surprise came on quick notice, Shiina quickly performing a full 180-degree turn and pulling out both her kodachi in a fighting stance. The metal of the tower she stood herself upon was no longer creaking and moaning; the sounds now changed to a consistent noise that matched a person climbing up a ladder. Slipping one kodachi away, she clipped the binoculars that were beside her and moved quickly behind the ladder, careful not to step heavily on the platform. As she awaits the person climbing up the ladder, the noise becomes louder with each step, indicating the person is getting closer.

"So, that's how it will be..." She whispered to herself.

Her focus then became cat-like, ignoring everything but the target that was approaching her. The figure finally reached the same platform Shiina was on, quickly stepping on. It was understandable that both the person who was currently with her and the one in the building worked together or worked for the same organization. Therefore, they had the same target. She moves in a counter-clockwise motion, pivoting around the area where the ladder is as the figure oriented themself to the direction of their target, which was west. Shiina finally gets her eyes on the person that occupies the same space as her.

Casual clothing with a hoodie and jeans that are a bit too tight for her taste. Perfect for blending in with a crowd. The only thing that stood out was the balaclava, which covered everything except the person's eyes.

The shooter crouches and proceeds with the given objective, taking out a case that was a similar size to the black bag. After fiddling with the combination lock on the case, she finally opens up the case and proceeds to assemble a weapon. Making out the familiar barrel and bipod attached, she assumes it's some sort of designated marksman rifle, meant to be used at long ranges. Another piece comes out of the case, and the person attaches it to the end of the barrel, which appears to be a suppressor. Quickly noting it down, she waits for the person to set themself up fully.

With the weapon now fully assembled, the assailant lays down and puts the rifle in front, looking through and adjusting the scope, so it's correctly zeroed in on his target. A magazine is then loaded into the rifle, a satisfying click, and a rack means the weapon is ready to fire. Shiina slowly moves, her footsteps quiet like a mouse to intercept the person in front of her with confidence.

Ring ring.

The assailant's phone begins to ring, and the person takes off the balaclava, revealing her long black hair. The person picks it up, the sniper now fully resting on the metal only held up at an angle by its bipod.

"Hello?" The assailant reveals herself to be a female and English speaker when responding to the call. A muffled voice is heard by Shiina, replying to her voice, which must be her boss of some sort. Because the phone was against the female's ear and not on speaker, Shiina couldn't hear much else. She remained crouching behind her target with both kodachi in hand, ready to pounce on her once the phone call ends.

"Blake was taken out...?"

_She must be referring to the other shooter._

"I got it from here. Thanks."

"No, you don't have to worry about me. This is the last place they'll expect me to be."

The shooter ends the call and places her phone back into her front pocket, taking up position once more. She lifts the marksman rifle with her right hand on the grip, index finger off the trigger.

There was a sharp pain in the back of her neck; her reaction was only vocal as she couldn't turn around. What followed after was her head being pulled back by her hair, then the front of her neck losing all feeling. Unconsciousness soon dawned upon the poor girl as she slowly disappeared from the world, her body now limp and the grip that held the gun to her was no more.

Shiina promptly lets go of the girl's head, gravity taking effect, and it fell with a hard thud against the bare metal. With the shooter no longer in action, Shiina cleans her kodachi using the dead girl's pants as a cleaning cloth. Eyeing the weapon, she sees white chalk markings on the left side of the weapon. 'SR-25 DMR' was written hastily on the left side, though some of the writing portions were missing, assumed due to being wiped off inside the case she brought.

Gathering more information, Shiina looks over to the case the girl brought. Many partitions inside the case held various parts of the rifle to transport it discreetly and in a smaller form factor. However, there remained two extra magazines filled with whatever ammo the rifle used. Continuing with her investigation, Shiina quickly goes for the first thing she noticed: the girl's phone. She places her kodachi back in their appropriate slots before crouching down beside the girl.

Getting into her pocket, Shiina pulls the phone out with ease, unaffected by the most recent events. The power button was pressed, and the phone turns on, revealing a background of the girl in front of her with two kids beside her and the time and battery life. With her thumb on the home button, the screen notifies her that the fingerprint was incorrect.

The assassin pockets the phone before moving her hands towards her radio, pressing a button with an up arrow. A resounding sci-fi noise through her earpiece indicated the channel had changed. Then she pressed the button that laid above her breast, intending to report what she found.


	9. Genuine

From pitch black, the lights within the room Hinata selected flashed rapidly from the lowest brightness to the familiar pure white illumination. An electrical roar originated in the long bulbs of lights, indicating that the lights are fully powered, possibly with a generator that was more than capable of handling just a couple of lights. The composition of the room consisted of metal plates with bolts running along each side. The bolts weren't just screws but were, in fact, a somewhat flattened surface almost to the same pattern as rivets. With the origins of these plates unknown, one would be safe to assume they have a purpose to fill. By no means was the battlefront's base and it's subsequent rooms were constructed by some amateur architect. The designs of the metal platings were awfully similar to how the armory in the afterlife was protected.

The room itself had a controlled environment. Alongside the electrical roar was the constant sound of airflow, most likely from an industrial air conditioner. The room itself was kept a bit cold in order to preserve the weapons as much as possible in their current state. In any case, these details were ignored. Instead, they looked for the battlefront's tools of resolve.

The prized possessions lay within the locked metal cabinets that stood in an organized fashion in front of both Otonashi and Hinata. With a repeating diamond pattern throughout the doors, with the exception of the middle part, it allows anyone to view the weapons that are currently inside. While all the same in design and composition, the cabinets are above half as tall as Otonashi to fit a larger variety of weapons.

The armory itself was not just a room with cabinets that lined the walls but was rather a maze that had similar consistencies to a locker room, with rows of lockers that stood perpendicular to the occupants. This allowed them the back view of the room, which was a long horizontal counter that stretched nearly across the entire room, with an entrance that lacked a door on the right side, allowing easy in-and-out access to whatever was behind it.

On the wall behind the counter was mounted weapons of various handguns. A lot of those handguns were of the Austrian varietals: The Glock series. Known to be one of the most reliable pistols on the market, they are favored by different organizations and groups, which extended from lowly thugs, criminal organizations, and law enforcement agencies to special operations forces worldwide. Each of the Glocks varied in how it's set up. Some Glocks were different models, had a flashlight, some had an RMR on top of it, some had flared mag wells, some were different generations, and so forth.

Compared to the armory back in the afterlife, this easily took first place in terms of size. The lockers that were on the left half of the room held mainly assault rifles of every kind, ranging from the familiar AK alternatives to the AR platform. The right half of the room instead held weapons that were not a handgun or assault rifle. Otonashi determined that the lockers themselves had been sectioned off, clearly identified through a sign on the ceiling that was almost comparable to a grocery store telling one where the snacks were. Sniper rifles, shotguns, submachine guns. The armory had most of the firearms used by law enforcement and militaries. It was a gun enthusiast's dream and a doomsday prepper's fantasy.

Amazed and in awe due to the quantity and variations of weapons, Otonashi didn't think of the possible consequences of having such a vast arsenal. Instead, he walked forward, his ears slightly moving as the footsteps on the concrete floor echoed through the metal-plated armory. Entering the middle row with Hinata just behind him, he slowly turned his head to the locked weapons to his left. He looked down, and a laminated white label on the top of the locker displayed the kind of weapon it was. The label read, "G36". Originating from Germany, it's a popular weapon by Heckler and Koch that was meant to replace another weapon, the G3. It lay resting in the appropriate spot, the barrel facing completely up, indicating it's not resting at an angle.

While Otonashi never saw such a firearm before, some of its components were shielded by the diamond patterns that only allowed light and small objects to penetrate it, preventing access. Therefore, he never really saw the firearm in its full shape.

He continued walking through, looking left and right at the different weapons with the co-leader of the battlefront silently trailing behind him.

Wordless, he continued his adventure into gun wonderland, going to each individual section to see what it has to offer. After all, he was looking for firearms. On the way to the armory, Hinata explained to him that everyone needs to pick a primary and secondary firearm. However, it's completely up to the person what they want to carry. It's just a standard. Depending on what each member sets as their classification, the weapons may vary. It's also emphasized that since not every situation is the same, they need to read over the briefing modules that Yuri typically provides. It gives off not only the operation objectives, but other factors such as environment, predicted weather, and what their purpose is for.

And yet, Otonashi finds himself in a sea of doubt. Making the decision to dedicate your life to a group that shouldn't exist anymore was not just deliberation between morals, but it was also a careful case of opportunity cost. The shame he would feel to show his face at the hospital, even if he did so just to talk to his boss, would be unbearable. Shooting himself wouldn't be the worst thing he considered if such a thing did arise. Cynical and dark, yet the results would put him out of the drained misery that was his emptiness. His will to live was too high. All his work would be disposed of in an instant. He wouldn't be granted that second chance. That wasn't his religion. He only stayed because of them.

...

He looked up, mentally shaking himself out of his sardonic phase. Effectively, his movements stopped, and so did the figure behind him.

"Hm?"

The red-haired simply kept walking and put his attention back towards the weapons.

_Modularity._

Hinata's words began to repeat in his mind. Otonashi's background as a doctor proved him to be a precious asset to the operations team, and he was told by his friend that he would be a medic. Otonashi always went with the flow, rarely making his own decisions. Now with the world at his fingertips, he finally came across a weapon, stopping dead in his tracks and stared at it with interested eyes. Almost seduced, his eyes looked at the rail. Through his own brainpower, he saw the repetition of the grooves in a perfect state, eventually reaching the base of the exposed barrel. His eyes then peered to the posted name of the firearm.

"The M4 Block 2?" Otonashi turned his attention to Hinata, hoping for an explanation to his first choice. No words were spoken. Instead, Hinata retrieved something odd from his pocket: a black stick smaller than a key. It held a distinguishing feature of a gold circle in the middle and four golden streaks at the end. It was structured like a USB, except really thin. Hinata then inserted the mock USB drive into what Otonashi thought was a normal keyhole, but it was a USB port upon further inspection.

It was extremely bizarre. Has the battlefront evolved into a state where technology runs their entire organization? To the point where USBs were a form of authorization rather than a normal key? Or has Yuri gone mad?

Upon insertion of the odd-looking USB device, the disk turned lime green, and it took less than a second before a large clanking sound was heard from the locker. It was unlocked, ready for anyone to purge the insides. Hinata removed the device and opened both doors of the locker, exposing three firearms side by side. He grabbed the middle rifle by the rail, which was the one Otonashi paid attention to earlier, and performed a check on it, making sure to point the rifle in a safe direction, on safe, and his finger off the trigger. Per battlefront protocol, the magazine was already removed prior to Hinata laying his hands on it. He racked the charging handle a couple of times to clear any bullets that may have been in the chamber. Fortunately, no one was irresponsible or incompetent enough as no bullets came out. The ejection port opened as he racked the charging handle, with the dust cover pivoting itself just below the ejection port. Closing the dust cover, Hinata then presented the rifle to Otonashi.

Otonashi took the rifle with grace, the firearm now grasping it in his hands. Hinata quickly explained to him that the weapon he just gave him was the battlefront's standard issue firearm due to its modularity. Having the ability to change attachments like the grip, lasers, and flashlights with ease were the main reason they adopted it. Since it was modular, it allowed people with different body types to customize it easily to their needs no matter what. This was important as not everyone within the group itself had similar body types, and if something happened, they would be able to operate the weapon without a hassle.

Attempting to copy Hinata's actions, he placed his right hand around the pistol grip of the M4 and raised it so he could see the left side. Keeping his finger off the trigger, he attempted to rack the charging handle but found it a lot harder to do compared to how Hinata easily did it. It was a testament to his arm strength since he didn't have plenty of it. Perhaps it was made brand new and still needed to be broken in. There weren't any visible scuff marks or scratches, and the smell of lubricant was the first thing he noticed when he brought the weapon up. Turning away from Hinata, Otonashi scanned his environment for any sign of people other than his friend. Otonashi brought the rifle to a low ready position and put his right foot back at a forty-five-degree angle. With his finger on the trigger, he raised the rifle and lowering his head to gain a quick sight picture within the iron sights. Leaning forward, he pulled the gun towards him. It was the most comfortable position to fire in, and he pulled the trigger.

The gun didn't even click. Maybe the trigger itself was new. Otonashi tried to pull a bit harder, but the trigger wouldn't budge.

"Your safety's on."

In the end, Otonashi set himself up for the battlefront's standard firearms: An M4 Block II and a Glock 17. Both of these weapons lay in front of him on the counter as he thought long and hard about his choice to customize or not.

While there was a bit of dialogue between them regarding his choice of rifle, the pistol was a clear-cut choice. He was already familiar with how it worked, thanks to Yuri.

Moved from the previous spot, Hinata was now behind the counter, tapping the counter and waiting for Otonashi's reply.

"I'll customize them later."

"Seriously? Come on, now's the best time. We only have a few hours before we have to stop by the factory and pick up the supplies for the next operation."

"I don't know too much about guns and attachments. Remember last time? You gave me a sniper rifle and just told me to point and shoot. Anything for you to suggest, I'm all ears if you're not going to let me leave."

Hinata sighed. There wasn't much to blame Otonashi for, and it was something that he should have expected. Otonashi continued his own life without any major interventions from the battlefront. Therefore, there was no reason for him to retrain on firearms. He would've, at the very least, expected him to familiarize himself with firearms more. Another nuisance that Otonashi will have to deal with. As long as he practices, the problem will fade away eventually.

"I suppose later will have to do."

Otonashi exhaled in relief.

"But...!"

"You're going to practice with what you got now. We got a small indoor range and some kill houses. It's all we could build without making too much noise upstairs."

A small indoor range? It was doable, no doubt. He decided to focus on just pointing and shooting, similar to what he was doing in the afterlife. Rinse and repeat.

"Alright, take me to it."

"Hold on."

"What?"

"You're not going to get anywhere with just shooting like what you did before."

Now that was something unprecedented. When Yuri always advertised training, she never really elaborated on what they should train on. Combat abilities were implied, but Otonashi wished she elaborated on the details. Though he wasn't going to lie to himself, he didn't know how to train. Shooting a gun seemed easy, but his first battle when Operation Tornado was conducted proved otherwise. The adrenaline kicked in, hands shaking involuntarily, and moral conflicts. If you were able to knock out those three things, one could become an effective killer. While it can be quite a handful of knowledge, knowledge of the human body is very basic in terms of effective methods to kill. Get the head; you're almost guaranteed death. Though while it may be the most efficient way to commit murder, it's hard to do. With bullets so small and the target even smaller while at the same time moving, the chance of hitting someone in the head is improbable.

If Otonashi learned anything from watching the various police videos, specifically in America, shooting center mass around the torso was the best way to injure someone with the highest chance of keeping them alive.

"Alright. Hinata-sensei, please teach me." Otonashi bowed in his request, granting Hinata the title of his teacher. Hinata crossed his arms and smiled.

"Fundamentals. You'll have to do a lot of this on your own, but you need to work on fundamentals. You isolate all the variables, and you focus on one thing. For example, you can focus on having the gun in a low-ready position, then when a timer beeps, you lift up the gun, acquire the target through the sight, and click."

"Is that it?"

"If you're just focusing on that specific fundamental, yes. Afterward, you just make sure to keep the gun up and do a sweep, then reload. Afterward, check out what you need to work on. Depending on how you do, you want to try and go faster." Hinata takes a deep breath before continuing.

"That's not the only thing you want to work on, though—practice reloading. Shoot one, reload, then shoot another one. After you get accustomed to that, put a random amount of bullets inside the magazine, and just focus on that."

"However, you don't want to work on other things when you're focusing on a fundamental. If you want to practice moving, only do that. If you want to practice quickly acquiring your target, only do that. Don't add all this extra stuff. That comes later."

"Hmm..." Otonashi mumbled the sound, deep in thought, as Hinata explained the ways to become a better shooter. In truth, it made a lot of sense.

"Are you able to show me?"

"Yeah, sure."

Otonashi and Hinata arrived at the small indoor range, which was just a few doors down the hallway from the armory. He was right though, the word 'small' was exactly what it said it was when Otonashi stepped into the room. It was only about five lanes long for each shooter, with the door positioned all the way to the rightmost side of the room. Given the size of the battlefront, he would've expected the range to be full, but to his surprise, the range itself was a desolate wasteland with no activity. A quick glance at the door showed that there was definitely soundproofing at the door as well as along the walls. Some type of foam or cushion existed within the cracks of the plating, but it wasn't shaped to where it relied on the plating to stick. If a finger was placed in the middle of the platings, the material was completely flat, with the plates' sharp edges guarding it.

Prior to them arriving, Otonashi carried his selected firearms of the M4 Block II in one hand and Glock 17 in his other hand. Hinata, on the other hand, carried bags of ammo that contained boxes of bullets and already made magazines for Otonashi's firearms. Unmodified, out the lockers, and ready to use.

Going to the closest stall, both Otonashi and Hinata placed down their corresponding items on the table that prevented direct access to the range. The blue-haired male then took out a black object attached to his front pocket and tapped Otonashi with it. Otonashi looked back at him and promptly took it in his hand and looked at it. A logo in white was painted on the same interface that said, "PACT." Though, the letters look a bit worn with various missing portions. Above it was four buttons: A green button that said, "GO." The following three buttons were white-grayish in color, with the first button having the letters RVW on it, and the rest were two buttons: a down button and an up button.

The device had a digital display on the side.

"What's this?" Otonash inquired about the unfamiliar item. He flipped the shot timer around, but there really wasn't anything significant on the back.

"Shot timer. It records your times when you shoot. You can also set a delay for it to begin, and it will make a beeping sound."

"Hmph. Looks good."

"Yeah. This is my personal one, so take good care of it."

Otonashi nodded, placing the shot timer to the outside of his heart, and bowed down to him. He lifted himself back up and attached the shot timer in his pocket. Upon attachment, he easily noticed the clip slid down a bit down his pocket. His pants' pockets were not completely horizontal and instead ran down at an angle in its design to allow ease of access for hands. To his dismay, the battlefront uniforms were suited for a school or public face environment yet didn't have any designs that made it easier for their other purposes. It was quite annoying.

"Alright. Let's just see if you remember how to shoot a gun."

Otonashi stared at him.

"Do it."

Otonashi rolled his eyes. He knew how to shoot.

Otonashi grabbed the rifle by the grip and pointed it downrange before clearing it once more, racking the charging handle. The sound of the charging handle hitting's resting position echoed through the air-conditioned room with no audible clinks from the ground. The rifle was empty, and the dust cover opened up. Otonashi looked at Hinata, who gave him a nod, confirming that he can go ahead and load it.

Otonashi opened up the bag that Hinata brought and reached inside with his left hand to grab a magazine. He pointed the gun upward, but in a way, so it faced the range. His hand felt a cold and somewhat light piece of metal and pulled it out. Moving his hand, so the magazine went up, Otonashi brought the gun down a little bit before he firmly snapped the magazine into place. Giving the magazine a tap to make sure it's seated, he then hit the button on the left side, so the charging handle moves forward, pushing the bullet into the chamber.

As the former doctor did the aforementioned actions, Hinata used a button to bring back the holder that holds paper. He clipped a human paper target and pressed a button, the target now traveling backward with a mechanical whirring sound that slowly lost it's volume as it went farther.

He then moved around Otonashi and stood behind him. The former doctor, a person who never had much resolve to begin with, now firmly held the rifle with both his hands. Getting into his shooting stance, he put his right foot back, and his left foot faced the same way he did. He raised the firearm up to the paper target, pulling the gun into him, so it sort of dug into his shoulder, and he lowered his head to aim through the standard iron sights the firearm came with.

"Aim for the center," Hinata ordered him.

He kept his eyes both open, using his right eye to drive the weapon. His rear sight aligned, so it was near perfectly to the center of the front sight. The iron sights then saw themselves upon a black circle in the middle of the paper target. Flicking the safety off, Otonashi took a deep breath, and his heart rate slightly increased to the anticipation of the bullet alongside its expectant recoil. Slowly, his finger began to rest on the trigger, and he pulled slightly, feeling the ever-present slack disappear and the trigger tightened. A bit more force, and the gun will fire.

That was when his memory jogged back for a second, and what he saw was a glowing light that replaced the target. The white hair. Her light skin. It was all too familiar. That scene showed the second time he encountered her. Where he aimed his pistol and took his shot, closing his eyes, he hit her in the stomach, despite wanting to aim for her legs. He hoped the bullet didn't hit her. At the same time, he hoped to stop her. His unwillingness to focus on aiming at his target, despite the circumstances allowing a much easier shot, allowed the gun's recoil to shift the muzzle a bit higher and hit her straight in the stomach. She then proceeded to defend herself against his barrage of bullets with ease. He lost that encounter, but the battlefront won in the end.

This time, his target isn't the person he didn't know he loved. It's a piece of paper with markings, dictating whether or not your shot hit its mark. Who knows what the next target is going to be. It was going to be someone wanting to kill him. Either that or someone was going to kill someone.

In his mind, it oscillated between the memory of her, Kanade Tachibana, and a piece of paper. Would it cost him his morals if he didn't fire?

A tremor hit his right hand, and he found himself unable to pull past the slack that he already eliminated. He wasn't going to make the same mistake. Staring forward at the target, he intended to hit it dead center. He _needed_ to.

He pulled the trigger with redemption, firing his first-ever shot in the real world. The fast-moving piece of metal that he decided to shoot ultimately changed his destiny within the new and revived battlefront and brought him a step closer to the man he wanted to become.

* * *

The rest of the top brass eventually found themselves in the Guild again, though, for Otonashi, it was his first time.

On the trip, they left the battlefront's base in two Ford Explorers, and they drove their way to the Guild's secret location. Going through the city that the battlefront's hideout resided in, they went south to a more industrialized part of the city. Factories, construction, and open roadways are perfect for the Guild to set up the operation. However, all the paperwork and backgrounds made it one of the most difficult obstacles for the battlefront to overcome. Chaa and Yuri discussed either doing it legally or illegally and have decided that paying under the table was an easier solution that had little to no repercussions in long term gains.

The architects and builders that reunited with the battlefront were able to convert the factories that they are using into a smoke and mirror operation, mimicking what they did in the afterlife by creating an underground network. Instead, it was just as wide as the factories themselves rather than a huge dugout cavern. At the same time, they had to keep an eye on construction while maintaining the structural integrity of the buildings they were building under. It had to undergo many revisions, and one of the factories was in a state of near-collapse for a couple of weeks before they gradually shifted a large portion of their underground network away from the buildings. Of course, they had to prepare for any eventuality and had to redo certain sections of the factory in order for the structure to become stable again.

Then comes law enforcement. While there were no fears of military or criminal intervention, the local law enforcement enforcing the local jurisdictions as well as the state-wide ones posed the most likely threat.

In Japan, it is one of the world's strictest nations that makes it extremely difficult to obtain a firearm. Not only does one have to undergo background checks, but must pass various training courses and examinations, having a reason to own a firearm, and must be interviewed. The rules for keeping the firearm are even more strict, so much so that back then, many people have thought that obtaining a firearm wasn't necessary.

Times change, and the number of firearms across the world only increase. Some of them are bound to end up in Japan, and eventually, it did. With violent crime on the rise in Japan alongside the contributing efforts of the battlefront manufacturing and selling firearms, the number of illegal gun sales skyrocketed. Then came the attack of unrecognizable proportions against the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Officially called the deadliest mass shooting in Japan, the results of an attack on such a large scale called for the modernization of law enforcement all across Japan. Pro-police support was rampant throughout the country, for many feared for their safety. Those on the opposite side of the spectrum called it a false-flag operation with the intent of cracking down on the Japanese population, specifically anti-war and anti-gun protests.

Soon after the incident, many police jurisdictions saw changes to their departments almost immediately, modeled once again after the American law enforcement system. Officers switched from the five-shot revolver to the modern Glock series. They also began wearing body armor and always worked in pairs. Soon after, approval was granted to start arming officers with rifles. Funding for police departments increased, which allowed them to retrieve new vehicles such as the modified police Ford Explorer and increase the academy training time to include active shooters.

If the battlefront were to engage in a firefight with law enforcement, there's an excellent chance they won't be able to escape the grasp of them unless they cut off their communications. The radio is one of the most important tools for the police. Cut that off, and you won't even be able to hear their screams.

It's also why members of the battlefront get their own battle dress uniforms, so they only get distinguished by uniforms and roles rather than individual traits. It also comes with a lot more properties like stronger material, moisture-wicking, and as well as plenty of pockets to use. Better than your pair of slacks at a surplus store or jeans that you would pick out from a generic clothing brand.

Otonashi had never picked out a battle dress uniform ever. And here he was, in the ground underneath one of the desolate factories, standing in front of a Guild member who greedily advertised the various types of uniforms he might want to use. He made attempts to converse with her, saying he doesn't know too much about combat uniforms and to give him the best. That somehow triggered the Guild member to go off on a quick yet understandable rant at how specific environments require different uniforms, alongside how a uniform should feel right to the person wearing it. Otonashi gave it some thought, and while it made a lot of sense, she was coming off too strong. It was almost overwhelming. He looked left, right, and behind to locate the other battlefront top brass members, but every single one was occupied with the gear laid out to them. Weapons, uniforms, vests that hold bullet-resistant plates, accessories, and other types of gear he didn't recognize. Every single one of the top brass was separated and was being helped out by their own person.

Why did he have to get the one that was so passionate about it?

His brain began to tear itself apart, hearing the girl ramble on, and his mouth trembled, resisting the urge to say something about it. It then clicked; she wouldn't stop talking.

"Okay, okay, stop!" Otonashi declared, and the girl that stood in front of him stopped all chatter, slightly taken aback by his unexpected response. Despite his somewhat loud declaration, no one around them paid any mind to them, still focused on picking out the various gear they might consider taking.

Otonashi took a deep breath before speaking and waving his finger around, like a parent scolding their young child.

"You're really overwhelming me with a lot of information, you know! It hasn't even been two minutes since I came down here, and you're already showing me how this uniform functions completely different from that other one, yet they're made by the same company, and they look LITERALLY the same!"

"I don't understa-" Otonashi stopped his words, slightly biting his tongue as he took a step backward. He went too far. This person did not need to be berated for any reason. The top brass came here to look for gear and to also get Otonashi acquainted with his assistant from the Guild.

He sighed, closing his eyes, and bowed his head slowly.

"Sumimasen," he heartfully apologizes to her. Without context, his apology wouldn't have made any sense, but the Guild member that stood in front of him frantically waved her arms in front of her, blushing in embarrassment. Having her stop was definitely progressing their relationship, but now he just felt remorse for immediately stopping the passion she displayed valiantly a second ago.

"No, no! It's completely fine! If anything, I should apologize because I was really excited to talk to you." His now proclaimed assistant looked back up at him, her blush seemingly disappeared, and she stood in front of him with a straight back, sheepishly smiling at him.

"You're just the first person that I was assigned to assist in a while."

Otonashi tilted his head. Now he just felt bad.

"Were you helping someone else before me?" He asked her, curious about her role. She nodded her head.

"Hai. I was helping Hinata-kun pick out his gear for operations back when Nakamura-san only gathered a couple of us while she was trying to locate everyone else from the battlefront," she paused before she continued.

"Eventually, he kind of got the hang of things on his own, but nowadays, he comes to me for advice every once in a while."

In his mind, his body just felt a weight release from his shoulders. Otonashi slowly adjusted himself to look behind him, seeing once again the battlefront members with their own person helping them pick out their gear. Each of the guild members had their own metal table displaying the various objects used in combat. Some tables displayed certain types of ammo. Other tables displayed different plate carriers. They were all stuck in a room together, but the noises of moving machinery and grunting workers weren't masked by the walls that surrounded them. They were deep in one of the factories, which was a bit lighter in machinery and people.

The battlefront had never held such a militaristic appearance. From Yuri's words, they almost seemed like a private military company with their affiliations to the black market. He wondered how far they have gone in terms of operations.

"Say, mind telling me what this factory is for? I didn't see a whole lot of machines or people compared to what I saw outside and upstairs."

"This is the Research and Development part of the Guild. We mostly receive, organize, and catalog the items that the Guild makes or receives. Then we give it to you guys or anyone that needs it. This room makes up the few of us that exist in this subdivision, and the rest are outside this room doing exactly that."

"Though a lot of the 'moving stuff around' part is usually handled by the logistics subdivision. We pretty much work together."

"Hmm, I see," Otonashi said.

"Well, once again, I apologize for being so rude to you. Before you continue, I didn't ask one thing."

"Hmm...?"

"What was your name again?" Otonashi sticks out his hand, offering his hand. The Guild member, who just a minute ago was extremely hyper, now held this relaxed facial expression. To him, she seemed like a completely different person. She takes his hand, shaking it up and down in a firm handshake.

"Ayane Sarashiki."

"Yuzuru Otonashi."

"Drop the formalities, Otonashi-kun. Call me Ayane from now on, 'kay?"

He chuckled.

"Okay, Ayane."

"Now...do tell me about the uniforms you mentioned earlier."

"With pleasure, Otonashi-kun. Where was I again?"

Out of the many things he was expecting from the long meeting with Ayane Sarashiki, he didn't expect to form such a quick bond with her. It turns out to his surprise that she took her role in Research and Development quite seriously. No, his mistake was thinking it was her role. In fact, it wasn't even a job for her. It was her passion. She never worked a day in her life.

After the whole introduction fiasco, Ayane Sarashiki briefed him on various things he's going to need when he gets deployed to operations. During their conversation today, she primarily focused on the gear that he's most likely going to wear from that point on. It was mostly going to be his clothing, the type of vest he was going to wear, and the belt. Since Otonashi didn't have much knowledge in knowing what types of clothing to wear, she gave him two recommendations that were very popular amongst military and law enforcement. He eventually settled on what she called the runner up from the well-known CRYE brand, identified as UF Pro, a company based in Slovenia that makes tactical gear. She immediately picked the Striker Combat Shirt for its fast-drying properties and enhanced material.

The pants were of the same type, the Striker XT Gen. 2 Combat pants. With many pockets, insertable kneepads, and enhanced material, Otonashi didn't see much need for anything else. He liked all black, but Ayane stopped him in his tracks, telling him that he has to adjust the color based on the environment he will be in during operations. She now lectured him, which he scoffed at but nonetheless appreciated the gesture and took her word. He just let her know that since he doesn't know what next operation he's going to partake in, he'll just take the black colored ones. They looked nice together, and imagining himself in it gave him a boost of confidence. That feeling was something so unfamiliar, yet it felt badass.

Then came a bit of a harder part: choosing the type of belt he will wear. Ayane lay down plenty of options that she had to stack them behind the table and individually pull out to explain the differences and similarities to the other belts that were already displayed. For the most part, they all functioned similarly, and most of them were a two-belt system. Otonashi's eyes were set on a product by SafeLife Defense, an American company based in Nevada that manufactures body armor and belts. He opted for the one with the MOLLE system since the version without it seemed unreasonable. If there were products that didn't utilize it, it would just go over the MOLLE.

After choosing his shirt, pants, and belt, he looked at the time and realized that thirty minutes and he was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. He decided to push through and pick the final part, to which it was vests or carrier rigs.

Even though he made a vow to push through and see all the options, he settled on a CAGE Plate Carrier by the previously recommended brand, CRYE. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with picking such a highly-recommended brand, and it had that same MOLLE system that was on his belt, so it followed Hinata's advice of being modular.

_Finally, that should be everything for today._

"Otonashi-kun, that should be everything for today."

 _Yes!_ He internally cheered. After an eventful day that found him to be doing something at all times, Otonashi finally got the chance to end things off on a good note.

"Are you able to come back another day, and we can finish up on picking out the rest of your gear? It's only just a couple more things, and I should be able to let you go."

"Absolutely. Is lunchtime tomorrow, alright?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

"Alright. Thanks again, Ayane!"

Both Otonashi and Ayane waved at each other, though Otonashi with one hand as his other was occupied with a hefty bag, which was filled with all the gear he picked out for the day. It was a good thing that he didn't get some of the heavier items like the actual plates and padding itself, as stuffing everything into the suitcase-like bag put a decent amount of weight into it. After the significant amount of time he spent, the rest of the battlefront were already on their way to their cars. After maneuvering through the maze that was the underground factory, he finally reached the topside to where he saw all the battlefront members were loading bags similar to the one he had. He automatically presumed that the gear inside their bags were the ones they selected for the upcoming operation.

"Otonashi!" Hinata waved Otonashi over to his Ford Explorer, to which Otonashi jogged over to him with the bag slightly hitting his lower leg as he made his way over. The trunk was open, and thanks to its design, it allowed all the bags to fit in without a hitch and still had plenty of room left over.

"Hey," Otonashi greeted him before putting his bag in with the rest. A question arose in his head on how they would determine which bag is which, but he quickly trashed that question, thinking he'll remember which bag it was going to be. Otonashi slapped his hands together to get any dirt or dust off from the factory environment and took a step back, making sure there was clearance to close the trunk.

"You met Sarashiki-chan. What do you think?" Hinata closes the trunk, an audible clunk coming from the locking mechanism.

"What do you mean, 'What do you think'?"

"I'm asking what do you think of her. Nice? Knowledgable?"

"Very. For both of those things, though, she's a bit of a nut head. The good kind," Otonashi admitted to him.

"Hehe, that's just like her. She'll get you up to speed in no time." For Hinata to speak so highly of someone, there must've been some sort of special relationship that he wasn't seeing. Otonashi bore a thought that he would've been looking too closely into it, considering how everyone has their own advisor.

"Anyways, everyone else is in the car. That's all your gear, right?"

"Yeah, I didn't get a lot. Apparently, I have to come back tomorrow to decide on the rest of it."

"Eh? Why didn't you just do it all today?" Hinata asked him. The basis for his question was the matter of spending time.

"I. Am. Beat. We spent the past couple hours training on my end, and I'm going to feel this afterward," Otonashi gave his reasoning to Hinata, rolling his right arm as he felt a slight weight on it, indicating that the entire muscular structure itself wasn't stretched out or used very often.

"I also had that medical exam today too that Yuri forced me to go. Lots of help she was. Either way, Sarashiki-chan let me go, so I took her up on that. It would also be rude to have you guys wait for me."

Hinata sighed.

"Us waiting is pretty much the norm; you don't have to worry about it. We only leave on time if we're on a schedule, but we expected you to take longer," he informed him.

"I see. I'll remember that for next time. Let's just get out of here. I need some sleep."

* * *

A single day has passed, and Otonashi found his body slightly becoming sore the moment he took a step. Careful to not overexert himself, he took the opportunity of the early morning to stretch his body out. He made a mental note for the rest of the day to not take any strides that were longer than necessary or perform tasks that would be strenuous on his arms. While he was cleared for training and operations, he wasn't seeking to get started immediately, a terrible trait that was a symptom of procrastination in medical school. As one of the highest performers in academic excellence, he took more breaks and leisure days than the average medical student, yet is able to understand topics and demonstrations typically upon the first iteration.

It didn't come without consequences: some assignments were late, and usually, his forgetfulness cost him a big portion of his grade. Understanding may have been easy, but you needed to show that you understood it. A mistake in the medical field could cost a life or make it extremely painful to the point where death is ultimately the better alternative. He knew that far too well.

Otonashi went to the Guild for the second time, meeting Ayane in the same location within the underground factory but this time having the entire room to themselves. In preparation, she set up all the available items and put a brief description on a notepad for Otonashi to reference the differences between the gear. He was finally able to pick out the rest of his gear, which were a significant number of items but smaller. While that solved the problem of picking out gear, he still was missing some attachments for his weapons. The critical stuff was out of the way at the very least, so he was in no rush to get that done. He recounted the list of stuff he received with the advice of her:

\- Bullet-resistant helmet  
\- A night vision goggle  
\- Radio  
\- Various pouches for both magazines and radio  
\- Backpack  
\- First Aid Kit

He was able to fit most of the items received in another bag that was provided by Ayane, but he placed some in the backpack he received in order to evenly distribute the weight. Eventually, he would have to reorganize all the items to his purposes and what he's comfortable with. That can come at a later date; this was enough supplies for him for the day. With goodbyes once again given, he returned home and continued his long sleep before his phone blared a klaxon alarm. While the klaxon alarm was annoying in itself, it was a necessity. Anything quiet like a guitar strum will just instead have the opposite effect and probably put Otonashi in a deep sleep.

The time approached for the daily meeting, and he left his place a bit early on his motorcycle, leaving all the gear he recently retrieved. Otonashi took the time to reflect upon the events that occurred so far, the wind and the buildings passing by in a slow blur as he weaved through the traffic.

For select sections of his life, those sections have been manipulated to be the easiest. To learn of the battlefront's continued existence operating under the guise of a hired guns and criminal organization. That very same group that he initially detested upon hearing the words from Yuri Nakamura's lips, he has joined and already enjoyed it enough to the point of forgetting what their purpose is.

His internal monologue was akin to a person running around a track field: endless circles of resolve, doubt, pain, and the final stride. For him, that final stride never came. It just looped between those three elements, with no break and no set time in between.

A girl came into his mind, and he felt an immediate sense of guilt, signified by his tightening grip on his handles. He unknowingly increased his speed, eventually passing cars that followed the same route as him in a blur.

Iwasawa. The cool beauty that everyone adored. That insane passion backed by her experience, she screamed it desperately into her music. It caused shivers to go up against their spine, triggering nothing but ecstasy and the involuntary muscle twitches identified by everyone as dancing or, in her case, rocking out. Her life was completely different from what he saw. If he saw God, he would've wanted to ask how is such a thing possible. However, his question was bound to receive no answer. Instead, his answer would be how he understood it. His guess was something simple but unfathomable.

Everyone had their own so-called vision of the afterlife. While most followed the same path, others had their own routes that gave them whatever it is they required. Or rather, what they desired. Whether it was redemption, happiness, acceptance, or something else, everyone he visibly saw got one of those things. He thought that Iwasawa was a victim of going through her own route, and maybe, just maybe, his arrival in the afterlife is what ultimately caused it.

That explanation didn't make any sense. What about the Iwasawa that he saw? Were they the same person? Especially the Otonashi she knew.

It was too many factors. If they were to go into details, it would've just been more unanswered questions. The afterlife sure worked in mysterious ways.

 _Maybe that's just how it is._ He thought in his mind. They never got an explanation as to why they were placed in the afterlife. Yes, the reason was for those that didn't get to properly live their lives, but why? The world should've either turned into nothing, or the person should've been reborn, starting a new life with the future gambled. His thoughts eventually turned into mental complications that only furthered his guilt. The words that she said.

She loved him.

His mind went up into the clouds as he wanted to find out what the hell that word meant. He loved Kanade. He said it to her, but he thought about what led up to him actually saying it. Why were those feelings toward Kanade misguided? Did he, in fact, actually love her? It all turned in an instant when he saw a girl, all alone, become targeted. An angel of death is what most battlefront members called her. They had their reasons, but were they legitimate? Not necessarily, but one could see why they would. They have misled their entire existence within the afterlife, so he couldn't blame them.

This quiet, small girl who was all alone, not paying attention to anyone but herself.

He didn't love her.

He preyed upon her before he even realized it. His mind knew from the moment he talked to her that she wasn't the hostile they made her out to be. If she was, she would've killed him the moment he stepped a foot close to her. Her circumstances were perfect. That was no feeling of love.

Love had many different definitions, and the one that Kanade sought after was the one he didn't reciprocate. Going as far as letting her use his first name has now become a controversy. He felt dirty. Soap on his tongue wouldn't cleanse the sin of immediately moving on. His tears when she left were simply because he didn't want to be alone, not because he was losing his so-called loved one. That was all there is to it. God knew that love had many definitions, so it was no wonder he wanted to fix the world when _he_ came. If as such is true, Otonashi was the anomaly, the burden. Otonashi, despite all the good that was done and helping the battlefront move along, was also a thorn in God's plans. It still came into question whether or not he existed.

Perhaps this love that couples in real life have was just an illusion. He couldn't feel what the entire experience was supposed to be. There wasn't anything genuine he could find. It all looked fake to him.

When things are different, then he could make an attempt to find it. He just couldn't do it right now. Not with Iwasawa.

Otonashi pressed the button while he leaned on one side, the motorcycle between his legs. He felt the mechanical arms pull him down into the battlefront base, the light from the outside once again disappearing. Going through the unarmed traps and parking his motorcycle, he welcomes himself to the office of Yuri Nakamura after putting the battlefront's patch on his uniform, moving himself to the same location he was at previously. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, wanting his thoughts to wander to something irrelevant until the meeting starts.

The missing members finally arrived, and the last one to come through the sliding door was the leader herself, propping herself against her chair as Ooyama darkened the lights. Otonashi knew for sure that Yuri didn't like change. She emulated nearly all the details of the daily meeting, even going far as replicating the room and the white cap.

Then came the electric blue initialization screen that Takeyama had made. However, it noticeably had a faster boot time, and the surrounding information after it's boot sequence was a lot more refined in terms of design. The interface itself was now displaying information that was otherwise not there before. It now displayed security information such as the current number of people within The Guild, within the base, and a general threat level. Yuri clicked a couple of things, and the title of the next operation popped up.

Operation Tornado. The operation diversion tactic that used the all famous girl band, Girls Dead Monster. The screen was updated after the change, which displayed more information surrounding the operation. An audible intake of air arose from all the top brass members, with the exception of the females in the room.

"Iwasawa-san, you're up for the big one."

"Oi...seriously?" Hinata spoke in disbelief.

"Looks like we're finally doing the big one," Takamatsu said, raising his glasses.

"Mm. Guess we're up for something bigger," Iwasawa nodded, looking at the briefing screen. Then a smile hit her face.

"All the same to me."

 _It looks like it's going to be a big one._ The doctor noted to himself, eyeing the typed out location, which corresponded with one of the biggest cities in Japan: Tokyo. This was going to be the first time he's seen Girls Dead Monster conduct a performance in real life. No longer the guerilla diversion group they once were, they held a social status above the average citizen. They were celebrities. Dangerous ones. And they had to keep up the appearance to no avail. The difference between the group that performed in the afterlife versus now was drastic, and Otonashi wondered if they ever got tired of living that kind of popular life. To be frank, the people in the real world are a lot crazier than the NPCs, despite the target demographic of the group was more or less the same.

According to the other member's reactions, this was to be a bigger performance than Otonashi initially perceived. If he was correct, the Top Brass would be conducting security. That came with the questions that if this is considered the 'big one,' how big is the area they are going to cover? There were simply too many things to keep track of in order to allow people to attend the performance with relative ease. If he had to guess, it would be the responsibility of the security division of The Guild to handle everything the top brass couldn't cover.

Some members took the available time stamp in between comments to ask Yuri some questions, usually pertaining to their roles. Yuri replied that it was going to be the same as the last Tornado operation. Although Otonashi was unaware of exact specifics, he was able to get a gist of who has what role. Takamatsu and Noda work undercover within the crowds, Fujimaki and Hinata handle a section of checking people at the entrance, Yusa and Ooyama will be providing overwatch over the entire stadium, Takeyama monitoring radio waves and everything cyber-related, Shiina will be on the stadium's roof, and Yuri herself will be patrolling the stadium. Although it seemed like they were operating in pairs with the tone Yuri put it in, they worked almost entirely independently.

"Otonashi-san, since you're still getting your feet wet, you'll be with Ooyama."

Otonashi raises his hand, and Yuri acknowledges him with a nod.

"Yeah. Why are we doing Operation Tornado? Didn't we used to do that just to steal meal tickets?" He asks Yuri, lowering his hand.

"Back then, yes. This time, we're hosting Operation Tornado for the sake of it. Girls Dead Monster gets more popularity, and it draws attention away from us when we truly do need them," she replied.

"Nothing ever happens when we do it like this, though, so it should be a piece of cake. Everyone else maintains their positions from last time. If any of you have any questions, now's the time to ask. Otherwise, ask me afterward. So, anyone?"

No response.

"The operation is in three days. Once I get the finer details finalized later tonight, I'll send you all a text. Otonashi-san, make sure you have all your gear and ask Ooyama if you have any questions."

"Since no one has anything else to say, that should be it for today."

"Dismissed!"

* * *

My thoughts keep going back to Iwasawa. I kept looking at her. She held this idea of love that I could never hope to understand. To her, I was her forever.

She was smiling. Like she was at a loss. Like she was a bit sad. I thought to myself, how can a person like her could choose to be with me. Matter of fact is, it did happen. To both of us. She spoke to me as if a wife talked to her husband after a fight. She spoke to me as if she was explaining her true methods and intentions to me after a fight. I wondered if she ever looked at me in the back and thought that she wouldn't get the chance to be with me again.

If I ever could give her back these feelings, would they be genuine as she hoped? Those feelings that her version of me didn't exist, and yet she was able to disclose such personal feelings that hurt her. She came with the expectation that I could possibly remember those feelings and memories of her time with me together.

How we held hands. How we hugged. How we kissed. How we loved each other.

My fist gripped into itself, and my nails tore into the skin of my palm, the white indentation left on it. I let go, hoping to find some of that stress leave my body while my capillaries get refilled by my blood.

I wanted to look up and see the answers written in front of me on how I could be a better person. A better person meaning to truly feel and make out these things that played with my brain. It's all chemicals and signals being fired off after one another based upon the person's experiences and what they perceive as good and rewarding or bad and guilt-inducing. It was a sensory overload.

Iwasawa.

The cool beauty that put her experiences for everyone to hear and to yell out all her pain, misery, and happiness all for the world to see. She's going to do it again in three days until nothing was left of her.

How can someone like her be so pretty?

And somehow, by chance, I happened to grasp onto her in the afterlife and called her mine.

What was it like to have someone you call 'yours'? To bury your head into their chest, seeking warmth and security. To rub your cheek against theirs and establish that feeling of closeness. To place your trust into them so much that the extremists of that belief would go as far as giving their life, ensuring the survival of their loved one.

I didn't want mutual understanding, friendship, companionship, or being understood. I was always afraid of the dark, being uninformed, and I had to make things the way they are now. Mold it into something I can perceive and assume that's the truth. It was a predatorial, egotistical, and shallow way of what it means to rationalize. I'd call myself a human since that's how it is by nature, but what is this ache in my heart that isn't a damn heartache? It was confusing. It was bullshit. I told myself lies. That bullshit I fed to myself is what I ate for so long.

I wanted to know what led up to that point with Iwasawa to where I began a relationship with her. Joke around, see sides of her that she wouldn't show anybody. Even live out the days just talking. Those ideas I spouted out in my mind were impossible. I could never see myself like that with her.

With the afterlife that convenient as she made it out to be, how incredible would that be?

Rejoining the battlefront felt like a huge mistake on my part, but I promised myself not to regret a single thing. I wanted to tuck away happy memories of just living. Not fighting endless wars that had no meaning or significance to begin with.

Can she give that to me?

I want to experience her pain and sorrow. I want her to give me that responsibility of burdening me with that privilege. I want to give her the happiness she deserved.

...

Maybe a life with her wouldn't be such a bad thing.


	10. Him

Three days was the amount of time before he would have to participate in Operation Tornado for the first time...again. For Otonashi, it felt like history was repeating itself. Rejoining the battlefront, talking with Yuri on their supposed base's rooftop, getting their gear from The Guild, and now the operation to raise Girls Dead Monster's popularity. In this repetition of history, one would think that they would experience the same feelings that they have had before. However, what came stacked on top of that was the reality that he initially denied. The truth he wanted to forget. That same reality is the one he slowly found himself accepting at the cost of remaining numb. With no tears left to shed and no intimate feelings remaining, there was no reason for him to be emotional.

After the meeting, he found himself on the roof, leaning forward against the railing. The uncomfortable feeling of wanting to throw up was now pushing up against his stomach. As his body told him something was wrong, his mouth opened, but nothing refused to exit his organic pipe. He hacked and coughed; a few non-emotional tears trickled out his eyes. The doctor's body's gag reflex was repeatedly triggered, and all he could have done was suffer through the pain of expectancy. Something needed to come out. But why is it that he wanted to wail?

In what seemed like forever, Otonashi slowly let himself fall to the ground with his hands sliding down the railing. His sense of time lied to him, for he was too invested in himself. What felt like an eternity was actually two minutes.

"...Ugh." Otonashi hoarsely groaned, his unintelligible words heard only by silence. He gulped, hoping the last of his episode was swallowed up and never return. With his mind now able to think, his consciousness told him to regain control of himself clearly. He clutched his chest and took deep breaths, focused only on the task his body told him to desperately complete.

A phone ringtone sounds through his breathing alongside a vibration that pulsed through his thigh. At the current time, no one would have the right reasons to contact him this moment. Receiving calls was uncommon for a guy like Otonashi, and they tended to be purely for his job at the medical center.

He just didn't want to pick up. The false sense of aching told his mind to let it go to voicemail, but his consideration of the circumstances said that the call has some importance. It was too late for Otonashi, as it seemed the person at the end of the line disappeared, the phone no longer ringing as it was. His head pressed against two bars of the fence, he released himself from the comfort of the fence that hugged his head and flipped himself over to lean against it. The lower portion of the fence bars pushed on his back, the heat from his clothing wanting to equalize across surfaces, and his back quivered.

Yuri had changed the times of the daily meetings to where they were to the late evenings instead of morning, which was a rather rapid decision to make, and he was hoping to get used to the schedule they endured. She provided no real reasoning, which was atypical of her personality, according to various members of the battlefront. It was a rather cliche moment, comparable to some type of media scene that a character, who is well known for consistency, does something completely different. Except for a few special ones, the battlefront members showed their surprise, and he could only shake his head. Hinata was right: they all were pretty much the same. While many maintained their looks, many of them retained a significant portion of their personalities from the afterlife. Of course, there were some differences.

With only a few of the members questioning the sudden change, Yuri only looked to Otonashi and gave a blank stare. An omitted fact that was transmitted through their brief eye contact was that most of them were still idiots. She could only reply to them that they've done this for every single Operation Tornado hosted, and a collective, "Oh..." was heard. What was supposed to be atypical for her personality was a simple and expected schedule change. It was laughable. To Otonashi, it was one of those uncommon moments that can be placed in a scrapbook. It was a moment to look back on and mildly show appreciation for.

Thankfully, no one was around to witness Otonashi's diminished state of health. He looked up to the sky and witnessed the darkness that engulfed his vision, with only the stars to light up fragments of the sky. It was his story's thesis; his world was plagued with darkness as the stars were the people to reach out to him. They shined, and he could only look up to the ones that felt like they were fading against the commonplace standard of looking at the brightest star. It was bothersome to look at. The idea of finding that shining star, that hope, is nothing short of fantasy. It exists only when one wants there to be.

A fear that always squeezed the doctor's chest was unconventional—the feeling of not losing himself, but losing himself for a period of time. Disassociation seemed like the best way to describe it. When looking at the mirror, you only find yourself in the same place hours later with no sense of time passing. The first time he ever experienced something equal to that kind of disturbance was when he returned to his on-call room following a female patient's sudden death. He, alongside emergency medical workers, worked to resuscitate her. What stuck out was not their lack of attention or providing inadequate medical care, but how close she was to reaching discharge from the hospital. The numbers and her condition were perfect. With little to no recollection of the resuscitation, he only relearned such an incident through his own questions. No detail would come to aid in his remembrance.

Terrified, he could only write it off as a traumatic event that his memory refuses to evoke rather than disassociation. Granted, he never had an event like that happen again.

It's still there, similar to how a computer file is never deleted but is still recoverable; the lingering thought tormented him whenever his thinking led him astray.

A few minutes into his recovery, he takes out his phone to find out who called him, and a name that took some time to recall popped up. With a drained attitude, Otonashi spoke out the word that displayed on his screen.

"Igarashi..." His friend and the man who single-handedly got everyone out there alive. Nevermind that Otonashi had medical experience and helped everyone with their injuries. Without Igarashi, there would have been some form of disunion amongst the survivors of the train crash. That alone can add to the additional stress of an already bleak situation and cause more problems. No one wants to be in a position they don't deserve to be in, but the human mind resorts to self-preservation and with good reason. Incorporate that with conflicting ideals of helping others, and you get the cocktail of conflict.

Humans typically integrate themselves with the larger collective when faced with ideologies or conflict, as the larger collective tends to be the winner of said conflicts. Otonashi's own experience is evidence for it, and it was hard to be the one against the collective without backup.

It was without doubt that if Igarashi didn't vouch for him, there was no way in hell he could've kept the survivors in line.

His internal dispute prevented him from calling back. Would it seem rude to call after letting it go to voicemail? Should he call back another time? The latter option seemed to make the most sense. After all, it was night time. People usually sleep at night. Not for the doctor, though. Nights were always the time of either relaxation or stress-induced headaches. He shivered at the thought of those restless nights of the hospital. His decision to leave may have been the best for his own sanity, even if the drive existed to help those who can't help themselves. The added difficulty of new and challenging medical cases was always a nice refresh, but that meant the difficulty rose each time someone came in with something unique.

Feeling his strength return to his body, Otonashi pushed his back against the railing for support and placed his hands on the ground, lifting himself off of it. Otonashi's lack of exercise and training became apparent as even his arms felt like they were already beginning to buckle just by lifting a portion of his weight. Off the cold concrete, he turned around and leaned forward against the railing once more.

That crisp night made it feel like he was the star of a movie and the personality he took upon: Dangerous, with a purpose.

To satisfy his lust of feeling the character he played, he reached into his pocket to pull out his headphones and plugged them into his phone, placing both earbuds into their correct ears. He scrolled through the various songs of his "Liked" playlist. Finding no applicable music to play, he flings his thumb to let the list scroll on its own for a second before finally placing his thumb in the middle. A light guitar strum and a girl's voice that spoke English immediately came through at an unusually low volume.

The girl's words were unknown to him, for whatever words she spoke was only lost in understanding. To him, it was gibberish, but the artist had a theme that he couldn't envision. She repeated the same two lines twice in which the words of the title were repeated, then approached the first verse. He brought his phone up to his face, and the screen automatically turned on.

Otonashi slowly pronounced the title, using whatever knowledge he had of the English language. The girl who sung those words kept at it, her throaty voice matched with the steady cymbal beat and the accompanying slow piano notes. A pause came, then she spoke a bit faster as if trying to moan her words out. His eyes blinked at the song he chose. He initially liked how the music sounded for the first few seconds, immediately enjoying the song and discarding it to listen to at a future date. That future date happened to be now, but the question still stands: How in the world did this type of music get into his playlist?

The song wasn't distasteful, nor was it terrible. It was different than the usual pop and rock songs that he'd listen to. There was a certain charm with how the woman spoke her words. While the lyrics are incomprehensible as it's in a different language, Otonashi made his own interpretation of the song. Whoever this character was that sung this song was directly speaking to him in a pitiful tease...to allure him. The song moved to another verse, with word after word assaulting and berating him, which returned to the familiar throaty pre-chorus.

The music finally ended, and he hit the pause button before the next song played. Pulling out his headphones, he stuffed them back into his pocket alongside his phone.

"Uh...Otonashi-san?" A familiar young voice was heard from behind him. He swore that Ooyama sounded more refined the moment he first spoke. While he held no contempt for Ooyama, he didn't have any sort of special relationship with him either. He simply existed, as much as it sounds terrible to say it aloud.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry to scare you..." Ooyama rubbed the back of his head. "Did you come to watch the stars?"

"...Yeah," Otonashi lied.

"Mind if I join you?"

Adoring the stars in the sky was some type of trope that only brought ignorance. There wasn't anything remarkable or significant about a star that's shining in the sky. Who knows how many light-years away? That star could've disappeared for whatever reason it is, and no one would be stunned unless they were viewing that exact star and had some form of telescope. He didn't understand the thinking behind it, but to appease Ooyama, Otonashi silently nodded.

Ooyama, who already felt awkward interrupting Otonashi's silent moments before his arrival, immediately lit up and happily took his respective position beside Otonashi.

"Hey...how are you holding up?" Otonashi ended the silence first with a casual icebreaker.

A sigh of relief came from Ooyama's mouth.

"Hanging in there."

"That doesn't sound okay to me," Otonashi rebutted.

"Haha, you're right. I guess that's why you're a doctor."

Something felt incredibly wrong. Otonashi's sentence felt a bit harsh for a question that held a deeper purpose.

Ooyama looked up at the dark sky, which only showed a couple of visible stars thanks to the light pollution. A few minutes of silence was shared between the two, and there wasn't much to it until Ooyama decided to break the ice this time.

"Have you ever missed someone who doesn't exist?" He asked out of the blue.

"...That's a heavy question, but no."

"Ehehe, sumimasen," he apologized, referencing Otonashi's first words. Awkwardness set in once again. There was no way he could initiate a proper conversation with Otonashi. They were too dissimilar, and there wasn't any form of connection or relation. The failed attempt at communication settled back to silence that none of them wanted to tolerate. They could only look at the same sky together and sink themselves into their thoughts with no one speaking a word. Both wondered how they would talk to each other when the operation finally executes.

* * *

Otonashi is reminded again of his lack of athleticism. While The Guild would've handled most of the backend issues like logistics just fine on their own, it was the norm for those in the battlefront, no matter what background, to pitch in and assist. Getting more members from their own divisions and separating tasks to their respective sections was more efficient. The battlefront this time had no reason to become anything else but efficient. Each time Otonashi would return to the battlefront base, he would be exhausted, signified by his drenched civilian uniform. In contrast, other members of the Top Brass and various others from The Guild continued to work towards the setup of the performance with ease. It was an embarrassment and a tragedy to his manhood. He was given a couple of words by Hinata, saying not to feel bad and to work on getting stronger.

His genuine and heartfelt advice fell upon deaf ears, for he heard phrases of a similar structure all the time from him and people at the hospital. It was a cliche that gave the opposite effect rather than the intended one. Ooyama, who would have been considered a little brother due to his size and attitude, was even lifting crates and other items like speakers that wouldn't have been possible beforehand.

 _Training does make a difference_ _._ Otonashi confirmed in his mind.

He shook his head, wondering why he is wondering about such trivial things when there were more important things to matter now. Lift this box, move it to another level. Assist this member, and move on to the next one. The process repeated itself, and according to Yuri, with all the human resources provided, they were ahead of schedule. It was expected, but at the same time, it was perfect. He could already feel the warm bath he was seeking to sink himself in.

Though his expectations were short-lived, he was ordered to assist with many of the technical side's trivial aspects. It was pretty easy to him: verifying the microphones are working, the speakers reaching an appropriate sound level, and other similar duties.

Otonashi stepped off the stage and onto the main floor, where The Guild effectively blocked off and partitioned three broad areas with metal fences, meant to separate the fans and the all-famous band, Girls Dead Monster. Their social media following was no joke. The announcement they posted on their social media made a clear indication: It would be immense. The performance in a city with a big open stadium? That will surely draw crowds of unimaginable proportions, at least none that Otonashi has seen before.

He strolled through one of the walkways that lay in between the partitioned areas, looking around the stadium by doing a full three-sixty spin. This stadium was vast and had many unique characteristics about it. It was open-air, meaning the weather can quickly change someone's performance, but the detail that was stuck in his mind was the scale of it. There wasn't an assortment of words he could use to describe the scale, but the word 'enormous' would be the most accurate one to use.

The way they have the performance organized was your typical concert format with just minor edits. The stage was a trapezoid that faced the crowd. The walkways that separated the broad partitions were placed diagonally, starting from the trapezoid's corners and extending out to the stadium's outer area. The outer space, which surrounded the stage 360-degrees all around, was seating that increased in altitude the farther they are. However, The Guild laid a specific setup, so the seating behind the stage wouldn't be occupied. Instead, it would be focused on a 270-degree angle, including the partitioned ground floor, to allow more people in.

At the stadium's outer ends, two more floors were faced towards the stadium's center, allowing an overhead view of whatever event took place. The stadium's structure wasn't designed by amateurs but instead was blueprinted by those who held the idea of making things more prominent than they seem. To Otonashi, whoever those people must have perfected the art of illusion because he believed an entire city could live here based on his estimates regarding how much space.

He wondered what the whole place would look like if it were filled with screaming and passionate fans. However, there couldn't be that many people coming to the concert. Only seven-hundred thousand followers, according to one of their social media pages. With how many people follow the band and how many would watch or listen to it on music streaming services, he assumed that the actual number of people who bought the tickets would be meager than social media statistics.

He didn't want to lie to himself, either. Watching over a Girls Dead Monster show that was nearly fifty times bigger than the dining hall in the Afterlife? That is an experience he ought to enjoy, and Girl DeMo's songs do well in capturing one's attention and keeping it. It'd be a great insult to say that he was no fan of them. However, he had a job to do this time. Perhaps another time, he can instead be a part of the crowd.

The clock ticked, and Otonashi went straight back to work, ensuring everything from back-end logistics to making sure everyone didn't injure themselves. To the surprise of Otonashi, many in the battlefront were lifting heavy objects without a care for their back. He pondered their logic and took a step forward to let them know of their potentially dangerous mistake. He went up to those who were destroying their back and explained that they should lift with their legs, not their backs. While many followed his advice and thanked him, others simply shrugged him off. It bothered him, but he envied those who ignored him. If he could live in peaceful ignorance like those people, it'd be a dream come true. He was well aware that living a life, especially like his, never really works out that way. There was always something exciting and new.

The two days he worked ended in exhaustion and sweat for Otonashi. The fatigue that built up over the past few days prevented him from forming any thoughts. It was another cycle. Help setting up, eat, sleep, wake up, and repeat. The realization soon dawned upon him that working like this wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, even though his muscles screamed every time he picked up something.

On the final day before the performance, he felt his soreness slowly disappear as he, alongside every other member of the battlefront, conduct their last checks on their appropriate areas of responsibility. While little nuisances popped up now and then due to oversight, they didn't interfere with the performance's overall operation. If everything goes according to plan, the display from Girls Dead Monster should be as smooth as he hoped it to be.

Otonashi was slightly glad that he wasn't a part of the ground crew that handled security like Hinata and Fujimaki. He felt relieved, and it felt that Yuri was sticking her neck out for him, even though there was logical reasoning behind her actions to put him with Ooyama for his first operation.

It set into his mind that Yuri prioritized Otonashi a lot and going as far as butting heads with Shiina, according to his friend. While Yuri's thoughts on him were questionable, Shiina's were even more intriguing. He thought back to the time that Hinata explained what happened between Shiina and Yuri, and her actions only jumbled his mind further.

_"She said you deserved better, and I'd have to agree with her on that."_

Otonashi furrowed his eyebrows as he recalled that sentence. He hasn't had very many encounters with the self-proclaimed ninja, and there was only a couple of occasions where they briefly talked to each other. To have someone that unknown to you but hold such regard was comforting to him. It also came to thought if Shiina really had some attraction to him or simply envied him. She had his back, but it wasn't necessary for her at all to do something to that extent. Things could've been different, and maybe it would've been for the better if he rejoined the battlefront sooner. It was one of the many possibilities that could have occurred that most likely wouldn't have spiraled his life downward.

Perhaps her fondness of cute things extended to him?

No, that didn't seem realistic at all. He didn't think of himself as cute either.

He would be lying to himself if he didn't think that Shiina was an exciting person. She strayed away from most people, appeared anti-social, and yet upheld her claims of being a self-proclaimed female ninja. She had a vast skillset that proved to be extremely useful. Otonashi speculated that because of her skill set, she might have lived an unspectacular life. There was a decent chance that she was a sheltered person for a prolonged time. If that were the case, she wouldn't have any reason to hang out with people and only focus on work or training.

If her circumstances were what he thought it was, it was depressing. Human contact is one of the most fundamental things that a person should be offered. He recalled from someone that Shiina wasn't even from their timeline. There aren't ninjas in the most recent years, at least there aren't any that he's aware of, so he deduced that she might have come from the past.

That in itself brings into the question of the types of people that come to the Afterlife. Did it discriminate against those from the future, and those from specific periods are only allowed simply because of the time they died in? He found that thought unsettling and hoped to shake it off by veering his thoughts in a different direction. These questions that never get answered only became numerous, and he found himself becoming increasingly irritated. Ignorance really is a beautiful thing.

All this thinking, and he was unable to find the answer. He hoped no one had this level of self-awareness and suffered the crisis of questioning existence since he had no fun doing that at all. He had to look for things to distract him. He can only see himself as a follower, blindly following orders. At least then, he wouldn't have to deal with the hole he kept falling back in, also known as an existential crisis. It was some sort of guilty pleasure: recalling your worthlessness. One would usually point out their worthlessness vocally, and some other person would tell them the opposite. Humans were such selfish and stupid creatures. He hoped that his thoughts rang out to everyone around him, that people like those should keep their mouth shut and either bask in their worthlessness or do something to prove it.

It was detestable. A bullet to the brain would've been a lot more of a practical option for shutting them up.

He felt like he deserved a bullet to the brain as well. His hypocritical stances were just that: hypocritical.

 **"Looks good here, Otonashi-san. We're all good for sound. Thanks!"** A slightly modified electronic voice came out from his pocket. He forgot that his temporarily borrowed radio was clipped to his front pocket. He moved out of his thoughts, brought the radio up to his mouth, and waited for the beep to indicate he was talking.

**"No problem. I'll move on ahead and check on the others. Good luck tomorrow."**

**"Roger that. We appreciate it!"**

He smiled at the reply he got. A vocal appreciation was always pleasant to hear. He looked down at the stage from the elevated position he was on, which happened to be the second floor on the stadium's outer portions.

The battlefront does know how to put on a show. In three days, the battlefront set up everything needed for the appearance of their rock band. Otonashi noted the elevated stage in the middle of the stadium, with supports all around it for the lighting. In particular locations around the stadium, pyrotechnics were set up in a specific manner, so when they are timed correctly, it'll excite the audience to levels unimaginable. A band like Girls Dead Monster needed all of its tools to bring the audience with them as they sing their souls out. Through the use of cleverly placed lights, adjusted sound, and pyrotechnics, they were ready to make this concert one of their best ones yet.

Otonashi looked around the stage. His expression returned to the poker face he usually held as he saw various battlefront members had formed congregations of their own. Those in the groups were relaxing or casually chatting amongst each other. Some laughed, some smiled, but most of them were laid back. It was a peaceful sight that he felt content with. This is what the battlefront should have been. Remove the group in its entirety, and every single member could have been associating with something other than this. That was when he remembered Yuri's words, on how some of them couldn't live out the lives they wanted.

She said that they weren't happy and doing so well. Were they really in such a degraded state that they had to resort to illegal activities to supplement what wasn't possible by living everyday life? In his view, they didn't need to go through this route at all. In fact, it seemed like an immature decision made by the girl he trusted so much to lead him. She was a liar but incomparable to the rest of the Top Brass. They only had followed her because their understanding of the world was provided to them by her, while she knew of all these details and kept it secret from them.

Here they are again, doing what the battlefront has done except now, they have expanded their reign in the real world and will suffer literal consequences. There are no do-overs this time. No regeneration. No revival. If any of these were possible, Otonashi would've taken the opportunity to kill himself to start over again.

Otonashi placed his hand on the railing for support as he continued to look down upon the various people that littered the ground floor. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to get whatever lousy energy that had risen in him to disappear. He also knows that taking the time to breathe does something in your brain that calms you down. His mind was plagued with such repulsive thoughts. He had broken that promise he made to himself to move forward no matter what doubts or questions arise. Even though he did promise himself, it couldn't be helped that these thoughts and that uncertainty returned.

He finally took the time to look up, seeing the highest, and subsequently the farthest floor from the stadium center. It extended throughout the outer layer but was not accessible to the public. There was a reason for it: police and other security often use that other floor to watch over a large portion of the stadium. That's where both he and Ooyama will be, though he didn't know his exact location. That will be decided in the security meeting a couple of hours before the actual concert starts.

Otonashi retracted his hand from the railing and put his hands in his pockets, then proceeded to walk away from the contradicting image of what was the battlefront. His shift was over, and while the Top Brass usually meets up afterward just to hang out, it was entirely optional. Everything that he was responsible for the concert was already completed and double-checked. He didn't want to go up to anyone to talk; the negative thoughts that resurged just put him in a bad mood. He just wanted to go home, but he had to drop off the radio in his possession first. There wasn't a need to return to the battlefront base this time.

Loneliness seemed to be a better alternative right now.

* * *

The day of the operation.

Otonashi woke up in that lonely place he called home. It was still early in the morning, signified by his room's darkness despite the blinds being closed. The warmth that always accompanied him as he slept was no longer there and was instead replaced with the weight of the blankets that covered him. Nothing more. With his face lying against the lone pillow paired with his bed, he attempted to rotate his body around so his chest would face the ceiling. What came was the pain associated with soreness, thanks to the three days of non-stop hard work with logistics. The first day felt like he could take on whatever task was given to him, but his body ached more and more as the trips back to his home forced his body to return to reality.

Sitting himself up, he wraps one of the enormous blankets from his bed around himself and over his head, wanting to keep whatever temperature he had in his bed the same as he plotted his destination to the kitchen. He maneuvered his way through the house as a portion of the blanket he held onto was dragged along the floor behind him. Sitting himself down at the table, he stared blankly outside the window. He had hoped to see a bit of the sunlight pierce the window but was greeted with black color.

How ominous, yet familiar. His mornings used to be like that a lot.

He didn't want to break out of the spell that kept his body sat on the chair. For him, there was no reason to be moving right now or to do anything productive. It was still too early for any productive work, and moving his legs or his arms would only induce the reappearance of his soreness.

He wrapped his arms around the blanket that covered him and hugged it, feeling the softness and warmth it had before putting his head down onto the table. His cheek pushed up against the table, but it wasn't cold. It was blocked by a piece of the blanket, protecting him from losing his body heat. A sigh came from his mouth as his eyes slowly shut, the feeling of tiredness conquering his body and slowly put him back to sleep.

That extra time he bought himself from the real world proved useful as always. It improved his mood, and the amount of energy he has when he wakes up is an excellent way to start the day. Days like this where waking up without being groggy are one of the absolute best. Despite his time away from home due to his previous occupation, he still had the capabilities of a house-husband. Being able to clean the house in a fast manner to cooking foods that were savory and healthy, it would have been easy to tell that he took care of someone in his lifetime.

The sun had made its decision to slowly rise alongside Otonashi and warmed the house enough to where a blanket was no longer warranted. He had to prepare something good and light today in anticipation of the operation's events. Yuri iterated in the meeting that they weren't expecting any sorts of trouble, and this usually was the easiest operation to conduct in terms of providing overwatch. While that may be true based upon their experiences, a situation could require an intervention. Otonashi prayed hopefully that it wouldn't result in him or anyone else acting on whatever circumstance occurs.

While it was still relatively early, Otonashi quickly set himself up a quick meal and drink to consume before grabbing three bags of the gear he acquired from Ayane Sarashiki. One bag contained his combat uniform, another held equipment like the night vision goggle and radio, and the backpack had a first aid kit zipped inside of it. The three bags were emptied, and the gear that sat inside them was separated on his table at equal distances from each other for organization's sake. Otonashi sat down on a chair and attempted to pick apart all the gear he had gathered. While he was able to determine the first aid kit's contents, multiple pressing concerns came into his mind all at once.

He did not know how to mount the night vision goggle he had or how to adjust the radio correctly. He also came to the realization that none of the gear had a manual attached to it. They weren't packaged in any sort of container but instead was just handed to him directly. While it wouldn't have mattered as the equipment wasn't in any danger of damage, the lack of instructions made all this fancy-looking gear have no purpose. He searched around his bags to look for instructions of any type and located a small but relatively wide ziplock bag inside one of the major pockets. Inside, there were multiple white papers of various sizes with printed text on them. Otonashi ripped apart the plastic packaging and recognized the names of all the gear he picked out.

It turns out that Ayane took the time to type out all the gear he had and had instructions for configuring it all. In the case some things weren't clear, she included the original manuals. At the end of her typed paper that contained the gist of general instructions, she had put a smiley face. He rolled his eyes at it and went straight to the manual for his night vision goggle.

That was when another concern formed in his head.

 _Shit._ He cursed under his breath.

_How the hell am I supposed to bring all this shit without wearing it?_

Concealment was one of the most critical factors when operating for an organization of such a dangerous scale. Times like this made Otonashi wish he had bought a car instead of a motorcycle. While there was a little compartment where he could store some items, it only fits particular objects, which ultimately meant that he was required to make multiple trips to the stadium or the battlefront base to bring all of his gear. With a car, he could quickly wear all the equipment to save some time and do it all in one trip. Fortunately for Otonashi, he was going to the battlefront base as arranged by Yuri before going to the stadium. Therefore, the trips wouldn't take too long as it was a lot closer than the stadium was. After all, his motorcycle is meant for speed. However, for the sake of using it to transport items is a once-in-a-lifetime event that will probably not happen again.

The motorcycle was a decision based on practicality for him. Otonashi never lived with anyone, and with his sister bedridden in the hospital prior to her death, grocery shopping wasn't common. He usually picked up whatever he needed every two days. He never had a use for a car, and it only limited his ability to move throughout the streets freely. It can't be said enough that Otonashi loved the motorcycle, but not to the extent many of his colleagues and friends would think. It was a fast bike, but he never saw the use of upgrading his motorcycle from stock parts to aftermarket products for better performance. It seemed fine the way it was, and he knew how to take care of his bike. Daily maintenance was no problem and was something he made sure to stay on top of.

It was a wonderful piece of machinery to have, and moving his bags from his home to the battlefront's underground base wasn't much of a nuisance he thought it was. Even though he had to carry a bag, the ride was enjoyable as the sun was out and there was a bit of wind, hitting that perfect equilibrium. With somewhat clear skies and perfect weather, the concert was definitely going to happen.

He was able to drop off his stuff in front of the Top Brass meeting place, also known as Yuri's office, and return to his home with ease. After his final trip was made and his gear was accounted for, he moved all the bags inside the already-lit room and proceeded to undress, taking off his pants first and wearing his combat uniform's bottoms. As the bottoms slipped onto his waist, there was a bit of resistance before he was able to pull it up fully.

Midway taking off his shirt, his vision was temporarily blinded, but the amount of embarrassment that flooded his lymph nodes and all the way to his face exceeded the legal amount as he heard the door open. An unknown person walked inside, closing the door behind them.

"Otonashi-san, you should remember to lock the door if you decide to dress in here."

_Yusa._

Otonashi sighed in regret. For a person as stoic as her to walk in on him, it was oddly relieving but, at the same time, disturbing. Not having the door locked would've probably been the end of him, both as a living person and his reputation.

"I understand. That was my fault."

"I am just notifying you. It's best you should put that into practice," Yusa finished her lecture.

"Okay, thank you."

"..."

"..."

"Uhh. I could use a little more privacy here. Why are you in here again?"

"You entered the meeting room that we gather in, bringing multiple bags. I simply followed you in."

"...And you're still here," Otonashi said dully, his shirt still midway through being taken off.

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

He blinked at her lackluster response but refused to retort against it. In his mind, she wasn't doing anything wrong. Otonashi slowly continued to take off his shirt. As his shirt came off, his vision of the room returned, and he spotted Yusa in front of the door, staring at him with the ever-familiar blank slate she had for a face. He stared back at her, wondering if she would make any attempt to leave the room, continue her lecture, or anything at all. Instead, she only stared at Otonashi with no hint of change or purpose. His embarrassment slowly faded away, and a small debate occurred in his head whether or not he should wear an undershirt. He opted out against it and put on just the combat shirt itself, all while she continued to stare him down.

"You don't have to watch me change and put on all my gear, you know? I can do this all myself."

"That's correct. You do not need a woman to assist you with putting on clothes. However, all my tasks for this time period have been completed, and therefore, I have nothing else to do."

"..." He remained silent at her response but continued to put on the rest of his gear. He swore he could hear a bit of a misandrist tone behind her statements but shook it out of his head. Another matter was of importance. His mind slowly registered the fact that she watched him the entire time as he dressed.

"So you're telling me that you followed me here because I was bringing in a couple of bags. Then you proceeded to lecture me, watch me undress, and put on my gear for tonight's operation."

"Yes."

"And the reasoning behind that is...?"

"No particular reason whatsoever."

* * *

After the ordeal with Yusa walking in on Otonashi changing, he walked out of the room and decided to head towards the armory to retrieve his firearms and configure the rest of his gear. While the past couple of days were busy, Otonashi never failed to put some practice in for handling his guns. Exercising proper firearm safety, target transitioning, manual of arms, and dry fire were all the various things he attempted to practice on. As the firearms were completely unused and new from the day he picked them, it was harder to manipulate the various components and, in turn, caused some minor injuries and cuts on his hands, specifically the skin under his left hand's thumb. His lack of arm strength also contributed to the difficulty.

In combination with repeated attempts to get faster at manipulating the firearm, the lack of callouses on his hand caused his hands and arms to get mildly sore. However, he knew he had to keep practicing.

Some other miscellaneous items that Otonashi received was the odd key that looked like a USB, which Hinata used to unlock access to the firearms. Immediately after his training session with Hinata, he took Otonashi to a room he dubbed the cybersecurity room where Takeyama did all of his work. According to his blue-haired friend, the keys are made specifically for a person, and every time someone accesses something, it's logged into whatever system Takeyama made. With a mild comment about how technologically innovative the battlefront is, he received his USB key as well.

Putting in his key to the only slot that existed in front of the door, he accessed his uncustomized rifle and pistol with ease and was able to retrieve ammo of the appropriate type from the back rooms in the same manner. He was astonished as to how easy it was to access these things, and yet a con-artist who knew how to lockpick your typical door locks wouldn't be able to access these dangerous toys. The thinking behind this kind of security measure slipped over his head initially. Either way, this option made a lot more sense from a security standpoint. You'd have to blow up the doors or have some serious arm strength if you wanted to get your hands on the battlefront's armaments.

Otonashi went to the small firing range that he previously went to and remembered the incident with Hinata. When he fired the first shot, both of them immediately recoiled and covered their ears in pain as the sound from the fired M4 Block II ricocheted throughout the entire room. Hinata repeatedly apologized, stating he forgot to bring ear protection and that he will get some before they continued their training. Otonashi couldn't blame him for an accident, but he wished that event never happened. He put on the ear protection and got to work. Reloading, manual of arms, rinse and repeat until his ammo ran out.

When the medic finished his firearms training routine, he took the time to retrieve his bags and configure the leftover gear like his pouches for a bit to see what would suit him the best. On his carrier rig, he placed the three by two magazine pouches that held a total of six magazines on his front, and the radio pouch was placed under his right flank beside the pouches. He put his Infantry First Aid Kit on the back of his belt, which contains various trauma items and a dump pouch for magazines to the left of it. He added three more magazine pouches going towards the front of the belt on the left side, with one of those being a rifle magazine while the other two were meant to hold his Glock 17 magazines.

Toward the right side, he mounted a holster on a drop leg that went down a bit towards his thigh. This specific holster had a variety of retention and locking mechanisms to keep it in place, and placed his Glock inside it. Preserving one magazine from practice, he made sure to load his Glock with it, ensuring it already had one in the chamber and the magazine he placed inside it was full. He held trauma shears on the belt's front-right side and nothing more, but the belt still felt relatively empty towards the right. While the distribution of weight felt more or less equal, his compulsiveness to add something more egged his mind.

Otonashi returned with all the empty magazines he used to the armory and began filling them up with the appropriate ammo types. He put the freshly filled magazines into the appropriate pouches and made sure to turn on the radio. A thought came across his mind that he should have some sort of accessory that would make it easier to communicate as taking out the radio repeatedly could pose a problem. While his thoughts went to the various options that could be offered to him, a soft ring came from the intercom that was placed in strategic locations throughout the battlefront base. The voice that came through belonged to Yuri, indicating for all the Top Brass members to head towards their meeting room.

He took his time walking to the office and opened the door, finding all of the battlefront members already inside, fully dressed in their combat uniforms. Oddly enough, Shiina, as well as Yusa and Ooyama, wore the same clothing and some variant of the gear he wore, even though the Top Brass had a lot more freedom for their gear and uniform choices. His attention turned to the corner of the room beside Yuri's desk, where Yusa maintained her position. She was dressed in the same combat shirt and pants as him, but nothing else. Her attention was turned to him when he stepped into the room, and he gave her a sharp glare, clearly referencing the earlier incident.

She didn't return anything except a glance, and his glare disappeared as he went to the side of the room, setting down the bags he carried with him. One bag had a bit of weight on it as it held his helmet and night vision goggle, and while durable, he still set it down with grace. He double-checked his firearms, making sure they were loaded with one in the chamber, but the safety left on.

He looked up to the Top Brass's various members and felt an uneasiness crawl on his back. Some were chatting. Some were checking on their own tools and weapons or combining the two. But he came to understand that he's never seen any of the battlefront members in their combat uniforms. Everyone else that wasn't the three was dressed in everyday, casual outfits, but they had a system that distinguished them. They had a sort of lanyard around their neck that indicated them as security or a person who attended. Even Yuri herself was dressed in casual clothing that consisted of black leggings, a white shirt, and a denim jacket. She was able to close the jacket; however, she had it open, revealing the outline of an appendix-carry style holster. The pistol that belonged to that holster was in her hand as she checked upon it, making sure it was loaded before putting it away and closing up her jacket.

Now she seemed like everyone else.

It made a lot of sense to him and went back to the battlefront's principles of hiding amongst the crowd. Everyone else who was visible to the public's eyes must look the part, either as a sort of official with a uniform or casual clothing but with an identifiable marker.

"Otonashi-san, over here," Yuri called the medic over, motioning with her hand. He complied, slowly placing his rifle against the wall with the muzzle facing up before walking towards Yuri's desk. In front of her, she crouches down and opens a cabinet before closing it and displaying the item she grabbed in front of him.

It was the Afterlife Battlefront patch but had significantly different features. He gracefully takes the patch from her hand and rubs his fingers along the top of the patch.

The patch was a grayed-scaled version of the original red, white, and yellow patch. The words "rebels against the god" no longer existed on the bottom part of the patch. On the other side of the patch was velcro, meant to be attached to his shoulder.

"Wear this," she commanded him. He nodded his head and slapped it onto his left shoulder, with the velcro attaching with ease. He ran his hand over the patch to ensure it'll stay in place. He looked at her, and she simply smiled, nodding at him.

Otonashi had a question for her but kept his mouth shut. He wanted to ask what the point was for wearing a patch in a public place but opted against it. He turned away from her and returned to his original spot.

"All of you, real quick."

All the members of the Top Brass looked towards Yuri, stopping whatever they were doing in order to pay attention to what she had to say.

"I was planning on telling you guys this at the security meeting later today, but the concert was sold out. Expect a full house tonight."

Everyone collectively groaned to the news, except for Yusa and Shiina. Otonashi found their reactions hilarious and quietly chuckled, raising his hand towards his face to hide his reaction.

"That reaction is why I'm telling you now."

_They really haven't changed much, have they?_

It didn't take long before the band of Girls Dead Monster to arrive at the meeting room. The room turned dim, and the display behind Yuri flickered on, displaying the list of the songs they planned to play as well as expected break times. As Otonashi looked at the setlist, some of the songs that were displayed didn't appear familiar. Logic dictates that Girls Dead Monster must have created new songs after they got back together, which was expected. Iwasawa was never the type of person to stop their own creative processes, no matter what stood in front of her.

The setlist was explicitly formatted, with all the originals marked as "Original" and the newest songs they created as "New." While he only recognized Alchemy and Crow Song, a good majority of the setlist was the all familiar originals of Girls Dead Monster, according to the display. Though some noticeable songs were missing like a Thousand Enemies, in which Yui was the one who sung them. He questioned whether or not the Girls Dead Monsters band made any attempt at finding Yui. She was an alright singer in his mind. Looking towards the bottom of the list were two songs marked with the "New" label.

While the vagueness of "New" was never elaborated on, Otonashi thought they must have been made recently.

Yuri proceeded to talk towards all of them, recalling everyone's positions once again. As she continued on an endless banter regarding what's expected during and after the concert, he found his mind distancing itself from the reality in front of him.

That uncomfortable feeling returned when he realized he couldn't bear to look at Iwasawa.

The meeting ended, and they all hopped into the battlefront's vehicles. Outside their base was the dwindling activity of the mall and traffic, allowing them to form a convoy in the nearby parking lot before driving over to the stadium. Otonashi rode in the front car with Yuri, Shiina, and Yusa. In the middle was Girls Dead Monster, and at the very back was Hinata, Ooyama, Takamatsu, Noda, and Fujimaki.

They arrived on time when cars began to park early in order to get the best seats. As they arrived, they spotted people who wore casual clothing, moving machines into the entrance of the stadium. The majority of Guild members have arrived earlier than the Top Brass to set up the systems for checking in those who want to attend the concert, and it seems to Otonashi that they're ahead of schedule.

With Yuri in the lead, she drove into a parking lot that was meant for everyone but those attending the concert, and all the battlefront vehicles found parking beside each other. She gave the order for them to proceed to their appropriate areas and set up before their security meeting. While he didn't know really know what to set up, he figured Ooyama would give him the quick rundown.

Otonashi grabbed his rifle carefully but quickly and verified it was on safe before putting on his backpack that had his helmet with his mounted night vision goggle. He closed the door, and he heard his name yelled from a decent distance away. He turned around to see Ooyama already in the elevator with a lengthy pack and in full combat clothing, waving at him in a friendly manner to get in the elevator.

After exiting the elevator, both Otonashi and Ooyama had to walk a couple of staircases to access the highest platform. Otonashi shivered when he realized how high they were but followed behind Ooyama regardless. They placed themselves adjacent to the center of the stage, which sort of confused Otonashi. He looked towards Ooyama, who was setting up some sort of marksman rifle that he retrieved from the lengthy pack he carried and placed a blanket underneath him. Then he pulled out a bag of chips.

"Otonashi-san, want one?"

The medic looked toward the marksman's bag of chips and looked at the flavor. It was an original chip bag, so there wasn't anything special about it.

"Sure."

Ooyama lifted the bag up, and Otonashi let go of the rail of his firearm before grabbing a single chip and throwing it in his mouth. It was a bit salty, but nonetheless, it tasted like a chip.

"Thanks. Did we need to do anything else to set up for the performance?" He inquired. He had hoped for him to break the ice after that awkward encounter on the roof. I guess both of them aren't meant to be together.

Ooyama shook his head.

"Nah, this is pretty much it. Once they open the doors and start letting people in, we'll just have to watch over the crowds and report any scuffles or fights."

"Oh, Otonashi-san, take this."

Otonashi looks to his right and grabs the odd device that looked like a future version of binoculars.

"What's this?" Otonashi asks the marksman as he looks through it.

"Rangefinder. Finds out how far something is in meters. It also gives you a bearing if you look at the top right. Just press that button on the top, and it'll calculate the range of whatever you're pointing at."

"Technology sure has gotten advanced these days, huh?" He inspected the futuristic binoculars, looking at the top and bottom of the device.

"Ehehehe, yeah..." Ooyama agreed with him, scratching the back of his head.

Otonashi lowered himself to his knees, placing both his rifle and the rangefinder beside him.

"How long do we have to wait here till?"

"Until Yuri calls the security meeting in a few hours."

"Eugh..."

Time passed very slowly, and Otonashi, hyped up on adrenaline from conducting his first operation and wearing all his gear, started to settle into his place beside Ooyama. Feeling very bored, he quickly felt the onset of sleepiness began to set in. What started off as sitting down cross-legged became lying flat on his back. Yawning while pulling out his phone, Otonashi took the opportunity to become a slave to social media and mindlessly browse it. Videos, photos of people hanging, eating out, at the beach. Some videos posted by some of his colleagues and friends at the hospitals were that of couples hanging out.

A thought came into his mind of maybe having that memory someday.

He shut off his phone and sat back up, then proceeded to peer over the edge. While the place remained mostly empty, some people can still be seen throughout the entire stadium, either moving supplies or moving to whatever destination they had in their mind.

A click from both Ooyama and Otonashi's radio sounded, and the voice of their leader came through.

**"Real names are allowed. No meeting today. Maintain your current positions. Will do radio checks in five minutes."**

The radio checks came in, and each Top Brass member replied with their name and a "Loud and clear." He followed everyone else's example, and when his name came, he replied in the same manner they did. After Yuri confirmed his radio was working, she notified everyone that the doors would open soon.

More mindless browsing on his phone took place until the sky became dark. The lights flickered on, and the entire stadium was lit up, although it was mostly dim. The non-existent voices became shouts from one member to another as they conduct their final checks on their final checks to make sure everything is working properly for the concert. Otonashi watched the stage lights go out, then change to different colors and patterns as a member called out a certain word he couldn't make out.

Below the stage, the fences that partitioned the ground were moved in order to allow more room for the full house they were expecting. For some reason, even though he couldn't even see the crowd yet, that he would be a bit nervous. Otonashi let go of the grip of his gun and flipped his hand around, noticing it's shakiness as he attempted to look at his palm, before gripping his gun once again. He tightened his grip as much as he could to get rid of the shakiness that existed inside his hand, then released his grip.

 **"Attention, attention, this is Hinata,"** Hinata spoke through the radio.

**"The doors have officially opened. The concert will begin in T minus thirty minutes."**

It wasn't even a couple of minutes before the ground floor was filled with passionate fans and Girls Dead Monster enthusiasts. The number of voices began to fill the air as each guest either attempted to find a spot or find the people they came with. As Otonashi switched to the prone position, the ground floor switched from a 'full' status to a 'packed' one, and the subsequent floors below them started filling up with guests. The stadium went straight from a desolate emptiness to a full-on Superbowl game. However, the cold draft still hit both Otonashi and Ooyama to no avail, despite the amount of body heat originating from the fans below.

Peering through the range finder, Otonashi switched into a sentry, looking for any signs of troublemakers or anything of significance to report to Ooyama, but only saw the same scene multiple times across the entire stadium: Just people looking for a place to stay around until the start of the concert. A light blue dim started to shine on the stage, but nothing happened, and the crowds before them didn't make have any sort of reaction.

As he searched the crowds, he located Yuri standing on some sort of platform overlooking the masses with a radio close to her mouth, though no transmissions were heard from his radio. He assumed that she was speaking to other members of the Guild. As he watched her, she maintained a three hundred sixty degrees awareness, continually looking in front and behind her as she continued to talk into her radio.

He wouldn't want to step on her shoes. He felt that an angry stare from her would destroy him. That's the type of person she was. Fearless and always the first on the frontlines. Her outstanding traits consumed his mind as her admirable personality took temporary precedence over watching the crowds.

Thirty minutes eventually passed, and the stadium was, by definition, full. Any more than the currently allowed number of people would have broken the fire code, and the entire performance would have to be shut down for fear of public safety, even though a huge building like this was more or less constructed to withstand the toughest of conditions.

That was when the lights turned out, and the fans that were below screamed bloody murder.

"Jesus Christ," Otonashi was horrified by how powerful their fans are. He could hear the anticipation growing as the voices, coupled with the screams wondered when the performance would actually start.

**"This is Hisako. We're ready when you guys are."**

**"Roger that. Have fun, you guys. Knock'em dead,"** Yuri commanded her.

The drums kicked in, and Otonashi immediately recognized the beginning of the Crow Song, and the lights on the support beams shined brightly in the sky before they automatically moved towards the center of the stage. The team of girls then immediately became visible, and the bloody murder screams turned into extreme delight as the three at the front played their guitars while the lavender-haired girl in the back played the drums. Otonashi quickly switched his view over to the band. While the light that reflected them was immense, it didn't stop him from viewing them with the binoculars. Eventually, his eyes adjusted to the bright light, and he saw Iwasawa's figure pop up in his view.

The music that resonated through the stadium itself was almost ecstasy in it's purest form as the vibrations from the ground could be felt all the way at the top floor where Otonashi and Ooyama were. Each time the drums kicked up was a kick to the chest to him. While they were the farthest and the highest away from the group, the volume from the instruments they played was no joke.

Otonashi looked beside him to look at the laying figure and looked at his hands. A faint tapping motion could be barely seen on Ooyama's trigger finger as he peered through the scope of his marksman rifle. Otonashi's view returned to Iwasawa, who swayed left and right in a quick motion as she played with the strings on her guitar before opening her mouth.

The band sang their voices out for nearly an hour, taking a couple of minor intermissions in between, and the crowd kept the energy they had from the very beginning. Every song that began was met with a rush of cheers and screams, but Iwasawa never faltered. Then again, neither did the rest of their group. For once, Otonashi forgot the real reason why he was there as he listened and basked himself in the music that they so desperately shared with the crowds. The final intermission took place, and the band started to take things a little bit slower.

Otonashi moved the rangefinder, so it was directly on top of Iwasawa. He could tell she was pouring her passion out to every song and could even see the glistening of her face and the drenched state of her uniform, but she never seemed to be close to collapse even though the amount of energy she put out far outmatched her fellow band members.

Things started to slow down as the fast rock songs slowed down. The crowd's screams and the excited state went to the rocking out vibes as they moved their hands and bodies to their music rather than yell their hearts out alongside Iwasawa.

The second to the final song started to play out as he attempted to recall the song's name.

_Was it...Stand By Me or A Single Flower Petal?_

The roar of guitars and the slow introduction of drums started and played on for approximately thirty seconds before Iwasawa began to sing. The known rock genre that the band was known for suddenly switched to the new pop-rock genre. It wasn't something that Otonashi detested and, in fact, actually began to enjoy a lot more.

_Takanaru shinzou no koe wa_   
_Itsushika kokochi yoku najindeite_

_[ The voice of this throbbing heart ]_   
_[ Before I knew it, had became a comfortable feeling ]_

_Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteite mo  
Me wo tsumuranaide itsudatte mae wo muku yo_

_[ Even if the wind blows strongly ]_   
_[ Don't shut your eyes, always look ahead ]_

The song continued, and Otonashi was bobbing his head up and down alongside Ooyama. They looked at each other as they bobbed their heads to the lyrics and chuckled as they turned their attention back to the concert. There wasn't a chance that anyone would start causing trouble this late into the concert, so they both knowingly left their jobs for now and took the time to enjoy themselves. They were sure that the others were probably doing the same.

With their final song closing in, the message behind that song felt a little bit closer to home. Iwasawa sang it not with passion but with grace and humility as she embraced the lyrics and held it tight. The drums and rough guitar got stretched out, and they ended it with one final guitar riff. As expected, the crowd responded positively to the band's most recent release, but also prepared for the final song of the concert.

Hisako quickly propped her guitar up on its stand and ran to the back to grab a couple of waters, arriving back within a minute and threw the bottles of refreshments to her fellow bandmates. She herself took a quick swig of it before putting on her guitar once again.

Iwasawa caught the bottle effortlessly and gulped it down, placing it down on the ground, noting that a couple of drops of sweat fell on the floor beside it. She paid no attention to it as she hugged the audience in her mind for sticking with her and her friends throughout the entire concert. Rather than Iwasawa, Hisako spoke to the crowd who were ready to experience the final song of the set. Thanking them for sticking throughout the concert and for coming, she took a deep breath and ran her pick through her guitar. Iwasawa and Sekine followed right behind her, then Irie smashed her drums, and Iwasawa began to sing for what seemed to be the final time before they packed it up and called it a night.

 _So this is A Single Flower Petal. I wonder if it will sound good?_ Otonashi quickly thought before he listened in.

_Hitohira no hanabira ga yureteiru_   
_boku no tonari de ima_

_machigatta koi datta_   
_sonna koto omoitaku wa nai_

_[ A single piece of flower petal ]  
_ _[ is swaying by my side right now. ]_

 _["It was an erroneous love,"]  
_ _[ I'd not want to think that way. ]_

_Teeburu no mukou kurai kao shiteru_   
_kiridasu kotoba ni obietenda_

_ittai itsu kara bokura_   
_konna kimochi ni_   
_kizukanai furitsuzuketetanda?_

_[ As you put on a gloomy face across from the table, ]  
[ I become fearful of the words you're about to say. ]_

_[ Just from when ]_   
_[ did we start feigning ignorance ]_   
_[ of this kind of messed-up emotions? ]  
_

_Huh?_

The grooving and finger tapping stopped from Otonashi as he slowly lowered the rangefinder. Ooyama, who was too much into the music, was still looking through his scope to scan for any potential situations. Although, it was clear that he was going along with the music.

The range finder's magnification effect disappeared as his eyesight expanded to see the entire stadium including Girls Dead Monster still performing their song. Both his hands started a slight tremble as he put the rangefinder back up to his eyes.

_deatta hi no you na_   
_ano sukitooru kaze no naka de_

_yarinaoseru no nara_   
_mou ichido_   
_dakishimetai_

_[ In the transparent wind ]_   
_[ from that day when we first met, ]_

_[ if only we could start over, ]_   
_[ just once more ]_   
_[ I want to embrace you closely. ]_

_Wait._

The chorus repeated but Otonashi's attention couldn't be turned away as a couple of lines after that has hooked him, unable to let go. He listened to each lyric that blared from the stage speakers.

_suki datta hazu datta  
itsudatte koe ga kikitaku naru hodo_

_sore na no ni te ga todoku saki no kimi ga_   
_mienaku nari sou da_

_[ I believe I really loved you, ]  
[ to that point that I always want to hear your voice. ]_

_[ But before my hand could reach you, ]_   
_[ you seem to be slowly disappearing from my sight. ]_

_heiki datte sugu gaman shiteta no wa_  
 _kitto bokutachi no warui_ toko _de_

_itsumo isshoni itai tte_   
_omotteta no ni_   
_surechigai wa genjitsu wo kaeta?_

_[ If there's one thing bad about us, ]_   
_[ it'll have to be our tendency to pretend to be fine. ]_

_[ As much as we wanted ]_   
_[ to stay together forever, ]_   
_[ was our reality altered by our passing by each other? ]_

_This is a love song._

All he could do is simply watch her dance and sing. This wasn't just her soul or her passion this time. This was her heart, and she sang it out to her audience.

_deatta hi no you na_   
_ano yawaraka na egao datte_

_sugu ni torimodoseru ki ga shiteta_   
_dakishimetai_

_[ Your soft smile ]_   
_[ from that day when we first met, ]_

_[ I had an urge to recover it right away, ]_   
_[ and embrace you closely. ]_

_Why is she singing a love song?_

The chorus repeated and a new verse appeared.

_damatta mama no kimi no te no hira_   
_tadoritsuita namida ga hajiketa_

_konna bokutachi no_   
_jikan wo makimodoshite..._

_[ Off your palms as you kept silent, ]_   
_[ tears bounced. ]_

_[ Please rewind our time ]_   
_[ back the way it used to be... ]_

_..._

_hitohira no hanabira ga maiochita_   
_boku no tonari de ima_

_machigatta koi datta_   
_nante wasurerareru hazu wa nainda_

_[ A single piece of flower petal ]  
[ has fluttered down next to me just now. ]_

_[ "It was an erroneous love," ]  
[ I'd not want to think that way. ]_

_suki datta suki datta_   
_ima datte sugari tsukitaku naru hodo_

_sore na no ni te ga todoku saki no kimi ga_   
_mienaku nari sou da_

_[ I loved you, I loved you, ]_   
_[ to that point that I want to hold you tightly even now. ]_

_[ But before my hand could reach you, ]_   
_[ you seem to be slowly disappearing from my sight. ]_

* * *

The crowd erupted in cheers, cries, and screams as the song ended with a final bang of the drums and guitar riff.

 **"Looks like they absolutely ate it up,"** Yuri said carelessly in the radio, smiling at how successful the band has become.

Hisako went up to Iwasawa and hugged her as they both laughed at how awesome they were. They went up to both Sekine and Irie and hugged them as well. They all took a drink of the bottles Hisako gave previously, sighing in relief as the cold water hits their somewhat parched throats. After they congratulated each other on a good performance, Hisako went up to Iwasawa's microphone.

"We wanted to thank you guys once again for coming. You guys rock, and we hope to see you next time!" Hisako raised her guitar above her head, and the crowd replied in the only language they could: through their screams and cheers.

 **"We're done here. Everyone start packin-"** Yuri began to speak but was quickly interrupted by a voice over the microphone.

"Wait," Iwasawa went behind Hisako and tapped on her shoulder. The microphone had picked up what Iwasawa said, and the stadium went to a reasonable form of silence. Iwasawa smiled at her friend, and Hisako looked at her, tilting her head, not understanding what she wants to do now.

Iwasawa motioned down, and Hisako took a step back, but not before giving the radio that she had behind her.

 **"Yurippe, what's going on?"** Takamatsu asked through the radio.

"All of you guys, I want you to wait just one second," Iwasawa pleaded them and walked towards the right side of the backstage. Various members of the audience started murmuring while others cheered her on. Some yelled encore, and others cried, "I love you!"

 **"Yuri, was this on schedule?"** Hinata followed suit behind Takamatsu's transmission.

 **"Guild guys, turn on the center lights for me, please."** Iwasawa asked through the radio, intent on transmitting to whoever controlled the lighting and pyrotechnics. Those who did work the lighting panicked for a second, not understanding who the transmission came from but quickly realized the voice and complied. All the lights turned off, and only the lights that focused their attention center stage were turned on.

**"Arigatou."**

No one followed up with the transmission except for Yuri.

**"Don't pack up yet. Any of you."**

The murmurs and yells for Iwasawa quiet down as she approached the center stage, this time with a different guitar. All members of the Battlefront were taken aback as they saw the same acoustic guitar that she had when she disappeared.

Hisako ran the microphone stand and placed it in front of Iwasawa, but looked at her curiously and with worry.

"It's alright. It won't take a bit."

She took the time to strum the guitar and correctly tune it. She gave one final strum to ensure that the notes were correct. This moment had to be perfect no matter what. This time, the crowd was the ones to remain silent as they quietly watched her do whatever it is she planned to do. The other fans immediately silenced any remaining voices.

 _Don't tell me..._ Ooyama maintained his eyes on Iwasawa.

 _She's going to disappear again?_ Takamatsu stared with extreme worry, and his eyes furrowed.

 _That just isn't possible this time, right?_ Fujimaki closed his eyes, looking away.

Iwasawa took a deep breath, wanting to calm her senses down. Sticking her hand down the front of her shirt, she pulls out a necklace that she wore the entire time, letting the whole world what she was hiding. The necklace was made of your typical metal chain, but the item that the necklace held onto was a crudely-made ring.

Then she strummed her guitar, humming the beginning of the song that caused her to disappear.

_iradachi o doko ni butsukeru ka sagashiteru aida ni owaru hi_   
_sora wa haiiro o shite sono saki wa nanimo mienai_

_[ The day end as I'm trying to find where to vent my irritation ]_   
_[ The sky is gray, I can't see anything beyond ]_

_joushiki butteru yatsu ga waratteru tsugi wa donna uso o iu?_   
_sore de erareta mono daiji ni kazatteokeru no?_

_[ People who act like they have common sense are laughing; what kind of lie will they tell next? ]_   
_[ How can they treasure what they obtain with those lies? ]_

_demo asu e to susumanakya naranai_   
_dakara kou utau yo_

_[ But we've got to move ahead, toward tomorrow ]_   
_[ That's why I'm singing like this ]_

_naiteru kimi koso kodoku na kimi koso_   
_tadashii yo ningenrashii yo_

_[ It's you who is crying, it's you who is lonely ]_   
_[ You're right, you're being human ]_

_otoshita namida ga kou iu yo_   
_konna ni mo utsukushii uso ja nai hontou no bokura o arigatou_

_[ The tears you shed say ]_   
_[ Thank you for giving us this amazingly beautiful and real, true life ]_

A collective sigh came from all the battlefront members as if they were expecting the song to end there. Iwasawa was still there so perhaps she had a moment of weakness. They were proved wrong as the strums continued and the battlefront became baffled. They could only stare at the cool beauty as she continued her song. However, the cool beauty this time was no longer looking towards the audience she couldn't see, but is now looking at the top floor just adjacent to the stage.

_kanaetai yume ya todokanai yume ga aru koto_   
_sore jitai ga yume ni nari kibou ni nari hito wa ikiteikeru ndaro_

_[ Having dreams you want to fulfill and dreams you can't reach ]_   
_[ Is dream and hope in itself. That's enough for us humans to live on ]_

"There...was a second verse?" Takamatsu asked himself softly as he continued to observe Iwasawa.

 **"Yuri..."** Hinata quietly said his bosses' name over the radio.

**"I know."**

_tobira wa aru soko de matteiru_   
_dakara te o nobasu yo_

_[ There's a door, it's waiting there ]_   
_[ So I will reach out my hand ]_

Tears began to leak out as Iwasawa desperately cried into the lyrics she finally had the ability to say, and she focused on that one spot where the tiny glint of a sniper scope was reflecting off of. Some fans began to notice that her head hasn't turned and while she moved her body slowly, her face never turned to them. Some tried to turn their heads to see what she was looking at, but they couldn't see anything.

All the battlefront members were too distracted.

_kujiketa kimi ni wa mou ichido tatakaeru tsuyosa to jishin to kono uta o_

_[ For you who are crushed, here's the strength and confidence for you to be able to fight again and my song ]_

_otoshita namida ga kou iu yo_   
_konna ni mo yogorete minikui sekai de deaeta kiseki ni arigatou_

_[ The tears you shed say ]_   
_[ Thank you for the miracle of allowing us to meet in this sullied, ugly world ]_

She hummed the remainder of the song she never got to finish, and the stadium was now placed in uncomfortable, tear-jerking silence. The crowd remained silent except for a large number of sniffles, as Iwasawa slowly let the overflow of tears fall onto the floor. No one, including her fellow bandmates, could move or say anything.

* * *

Ooyama, who was the only person with Otonashi, noticed that she looked up at them the entire time.

He briefly looked at the man beside him, who stood still as Iwasawa sung her heart out to him until nothing remained.


	11. Deadline

After Iwasawa's performance, the stadium's fans left easily compared to the previous concerts, chatting about the final song she sang. 'My Song,' the song that caused her to move on from the Afterlife finally. It was to our surprise, and it was a clear violation of the rules we had set prior, but it only helped with our objective. I let it slide. Follow up action has to come after for sure, but I'm not going to do anything. It's just for the sake of getting a report down for the violation. However, it's probably something I'll tear up and burn in the future.

At the end of Operation Tornado, I went ahead and dismissed Girls Dead Monster as usual, though Iwasawa seemed to have a unique and unfamiliar look on her face at the end of the night. Even as she cried on stage and showed emotion in her final song, I saw something of resolve, relief, or relaxation. I couldn't tell which one it was. Personally, I'm not that good at reading people's faces.

What I couldn't particularly stand was how she told me it was a ploy to get them more followers. Iwasawa executing something significant like that? It came from the heart, and naturally, I was worried for her.

Everyone else displayed some sort of worry, but they calmed themselves down to the fact that she didn't disappear. Of course, she wasn't going to disappear. Even now, these guys tend to be idiots.

Iwasawa was very adamant about other people's whereabouts, who we've regained in members, and who we lost. She asked that every so often consecutively as if she was checking up on someone. I appealed to her and always answered her questions, but I only chose to answer her questions every single time to gather information. I wanted to find out what she wanted to find out, and it became painfully apparent, even though she made attempts to hide it, that she was looking for the same man that I was looking for.

Yuzuru Otonashi.

He was different a long time ago. He was kind and who we called a savior and a hero. Then he suffered losses of his own that he couldn't control, most notably his sister. He isolated and shut himself away for fear of pain's return.

Otonashi was the man who had fought angel herself and somehow won, even though we had fought for years stuck in trench warfare. If I never finally realized what that world's real purpose was, I would've thought he sided with her. He did, but he did so because he realized the truth I couldn't see.

I say the word 'man' with great care and with respect. He holds extensive knowledge of many things and is very wise. He defeated me using the sheer power of his brain, and that's something to give props to. Give that man enough information, and he can give you a hundred-page essay on why a single sentence disproves the statement that the data is trying to convey.

Given the circumstances of the Afterlife and how I initially came about, someone could say that I had no choice but to unite those who didn't understand the world we found ourselves in and that Otonashi was only able to find out the real purpose of that world because I laid the foundation for it. I can sort of agree with that. Humans tend to become static when they see that nothing has changed, even when we push our efforts to be different. It's why we've fought a decades-long war that never ended in anything but a stalemate.

Every single one of my plans failed or came in limited success. I never got to stick it to God. When my gut told me that he would change things, I chose to give in to it like I always have done, and he never failed us.

He is a good man. He's the epitome of what wouldn't define a normal human male because his level of care outmatched every single one of them.

That's why he is the most dangerous person out of us all. What would I do to get rid of the dangerous person, you might ask? There's plenty of options. I can quickly kill him. Call him over to my office, pull out my pistol, and pull the trigger. Or send him off to an island in the Pacific. I have the means to do so, but I hold no just reason to do that. He came back to us, and that's all that matters. After seeing him in that state at his sister's funeral, sadness only filled the empty void he had previously filled within me. When he came back to us after months of planning and careful choices and decisions, I wanted to feel happy. I finally got him back. I was delighted. Now, after seeing Iwasawa's performance, that feeling changed.

Was I worried about him? Empathizing with him? I will defeat your expectations.

He scares me.

When you are confronted by a man looking to take your life, who do you fear the most?

The man who has nothing to lose or the man who has something to lose?

Many people say that the man who has nothing to lose is the one to be feared. The boogeyman who had finally lost everything will stop at nothing, tearing the world down AND himself just to complete his objective. He will die but not before destroying everything around him.

I say the opposite.

The man who has something to lose...

Will tear the world down and come out alive, destroying the very things that need to be destroyed. A person who will come out alive requires precision, accuracy, and have a strict code. I gave him our group and the tools to perfect everything that I said before.

That's the kind of person he is—a man with something to lose.

As for what he had to lose...

To be perfectly honest, I have no clue. He has something. I know that much.

When it comes down to us facing impossible odds to which I hope will never happen, I'll prefer that compared to the recklessness and destruction of a man who has nothing to lose.

It's for the best of us and the best of him. When we finally leave this life of ours after the final operation, I'll make sure to take him with me. Maybe all of us will be able to forego this life that I chose for us and get the happily ever after we fought so hard for.

Fuck God. This isn't the way that I wanted us to see each other again.

* * *

"Oh boy! I've always wanted to do some sort of podcast! It's so exciting when I get to do things like these, but I feel like I should do this 'cause I wanted to try something new, and there was something that's been bugging me ever since I got home last night."

"Alright. Here we go."

"..."

"Sorry, I'm a bit nervous. I just gotta get into the moment so I can talk. I guess I should start at the beginning and with who I am."

"My name is Kirari Aizawa. I'm a twenty-three-year-old girl who, alongside my friends and family, loves music. Music has been a big part of my life ever since I was a kid, and it's helped me get through tough times. Sounds pretty generic right? Everyone seems to have those 'tough' times, but my struggle was that of your average teenager. I have been fortunate enough not to experience any sort of major traumas or family events."

"As a kid, my mother would always play the guitar whenever it was tough for me. Pretty typical story, and yes, it is pretty dull. Still, the reason why I'm making this blog or podcast is that I couldn't stop thinking about my favorite singer, Masami Iwasawa."

"Basically, my favorite band of all time, in which she is the lead singer, was having a concert. Of course, as one of their fans, I had an obligation to show up. They're always known for hosting some type of 'guerilla performances.' They basically post on their social media about a potential concert within a couple of days."

"It gets pretty annoying if you're a diehard fan, and it does piss off a lot of fans, but they do host some concerts ahead of time, so I'm not going to hold it against them."

"Though the keyword here is 'some.' The tickets always sell hella quickly, though! I was lucky to be browsing their social media page when the post popped up, and I immediately bought a couple of tickets. Surprisingly enough, they allowed us to purchase multiple tickets despite people always wanting to scalp the concerts and sell the tickets at a higher price—those bastards."

"Not my problem."

"On that day of the concert, we arrived way earlier than we expected. Traffic was pretty light, but when I say we arrived earlier, that would be an understatement. We arrived a couple of hours early that the parking lots had no cars in them. At least with that, we were able to secure parking close to our exit. Thank God for that."

"So I just chilled and went on my phone, took a nap, and when the time finally came, we all went up to the entrance, and of course, we had to get our stuff checked. As much as they prioritize safety, most would have problems with the guards as they could be complete assholes sometimes, but they really do make you feel safe. The guards who checked our tickets and scanned our belongings are probably the friendliest people I have ever met, and I usually see the same guard. Some blue-haired guy who never tells me his name even though I was always asked. At least he recognizes me at a glance and lets my friends and me in without being too thorough."

"It really helps to have your connections, but I can't deny that I took a liking to him. If only I got his name."

"Anyway, I side-tracked myself. Since we were the first in line, we were the first ones to enter the stadium, and it's what you would expect—a stage with lights and a place for everyone. The stadium's open areas had room for everyone and my band, Girls Dead Monster, made sure to invite everyone. If you couldn't get a ticket to be there physically, there was always someone they hired to stream the concert, so you don't really miss out. They were kind."

"The concert was filled to the brim with people like us. It was so lovely to see so many people who could get in touch with Iwasawa's music. The first singles released by Girls Dead Monster featured many incredible songs that Iwasawa quote on quote had written before. She said that she was in some mental state where she was in a different place when she wrote those songs, and the other band members backed her up on it."

"I thought their interpretations were more beyond this world, as if they belonged to a completely different place, but how they absorbed information and spout it out to us is quite peculiar. They worded it differently but what they speak of is another world before or after this one we're living in. I'm fairly sure they were talking about the concept of an afterlife."

"It was a comforting thought, but I couldn't imagine such a thing possibly existing. I mean, there were many accounts of religious beings like God and such, supported by witnesses who wrote their experiences down, so I ultimately believe that. However, there was never a person who ever claimed to come from life before or after this one. If there was, wouldn't it just be some sort of endless cycle? That's what I think."

"Anyhow, my favorite band decided to play some of their most popular singles at the very beginning, which was downright weird, but oh my god, did I love it! The song that they first played and the one I think was most impactful happens to be the most popular single, 'Crow Song.' It really, really hypes me up, but each song that Iwasawa sings is another message she wants to tell us. I personally like to think Crow Song is Iwasawa as a crow, choosing to sing her heart out no matter what obstacles she faces. There isn't any time to waste, and even if there were some sort of difficulty to sing her song, she'd find a way to get through it."

"I feel like this can apply to almost anyone in the crowd, and why I think it's viral because each of us faces the battle of life, and no matter what we do, we push through it. We fight towards the future we desire against any circumstances, even the most difficult ones. That sort of thing seems very generic, but I guess the fact that it uses a crow, which is free to do as it pleases, can get in touch with many people who want to be free."

"That sort of thing really is a bit of a downer if you think about it. There's a lot of people who work hard and even break themselves just for the sake of meeting deadlines, and the only outing they could use is the music of the girl who understood them."

"Haha! She's so awesome! She's such a special thing that I would want to protect. Call me a die-hard fan, I guess. The concert itself was fantastic, and we got to hear all the songs, including the ones they released so long ago. However, a lot of fans noticed a couple of things. I think we may be overanalyzing it since songs always have messages, but it seemed like something changed with Iwasawa."

"The songs they started releasing this year followed the same type of style as they usually do, but the lyrics were so vastly different that it was impossible to miss. If you miss such a big critical detail like how the lyrics changed and call yourself a fan, you're probably dumb as a horse. That's what you are—a dumb horse."

"They were love songs."

"The prodigy herself was in love! I gasped when I was first listening to this song because I thought she had a boyfriend or something! She was still single, which I was glad for, but at the same time, NOT happy for either! She needs a guy to take care of her! A proper one rather than just some flukey who is going to use her like a one-and-done doll, or because she's a singer of a trendy girl band. I absolutely dislike guys like that. They're disgusting."

"Whoops. I really should stop doing that, heehee."

"Going back to what I was saying, the two songs they released this year are called 'A Single Flower Petal' and 'Stand By Me.' The latter came first as the concert approached its scheduled time to end but 'Stand By Me' seemed to talk about some guy and some girl going their own separate ways, but eventually, she uses the warmth she knew to find him once again."

"Not gonna lie, buuuuut these songs were really suspicious, and it's frustrating, especially to me, because this is actually a song that I don't understand the message behind. It's a love song, but this song is just like a combination of both breaking up and getting together again, except it seemed like it was the guy's fault, and she wants to go back."

"Then this NEXT ONE. 'A Single Flower Petal.' This one, I was totally pulling my hair out 'cause this was saying SHE WAS ACTUALLY IN LOVE. She thought it was wrong to love, but she didn't want to see it that way. Then somewhere along the way, the relationship got lost, and she wants what they had together to return the way it was before."

"The problem here is that many fans, especially yours, don't understand exactly who she is referring to. Iwasawa never talked about a previous love. Whenever she's out in public, she's usually with the band or friends of hers, but there never was a visible indicator that she was dating anyone. She seemed to focus on herself, her music, and her bandmates, so it would seem impossible for her to seek love if she worked so hard on other things."

"If anything, she would seem like a normal girl who just doesn't have time for relationships."

"So why did she decide to write love songs rather than about herself? I thought she found someone, and she's trying to reach for him through her music or something. I also thought that her entire meaning of existence changed when she found someone. Or maybe this was her trying to show her love for another female?"

"Okay, don't butcher me, please. It's not outside the realm of reality. Some people ship Hisako and Iwasawa, but I don't see how anyone could do that, nor see how that kind of relationship would blossom."

"Then why did she make those songs? Why does a girl, who hasn't experienced love or sought it out for, is now singing about it?"

"I have a pretty plausible theory, and I thought of it ever since Iwasawa cried last night."

"After singing their two new singles and Hisako started to shut down the stadium by thanking us, Iwasawa stopped her. Iwasawa kindly asked us to wait for a second, and she went backstage. I didn't know what was going on, and no one else did either."

"As she walked back towards the front of the stage, she was carrying something in her hands. I've never seen that type of guitar before, one that goes against the rock status of Girls Dead Monster. An acoustic guitar of some kind but one I recognized for some reason. It seemed to be a Yamaha LL6, LS6, or F310. I couldn't tell, virtually, because those types of guitars all looked the same."

"I quiet down because an awful sense of dread came within me when I saw that guitar. No one would perform such a bold move like that and not say anything else unless it was significant to the person. To Iwasawa. And it was."

"She took out some sort of necklace and laid it on her chest for everyone to see. A ring was loosely attached to that necklace, which shined brightly due to the lights that the tech guys turned on, and she took a deep breath. That was when she began singing a song no one has heard before. It wasn't a released single or a secret track that was only heard if you bought their album. It was a legitimate unreleased song that was different in so many ways you can imagine."

"It was just a single voice, a single guitar, and worst of all, it was painful to listen to. Even though Masami Iwasawa was a rocker who was in sync with her bandmates and audience, the tone of the song she sang was one that was lost but finally found a purpose. This lost girl who found a purpose was alone in the end yet kept trying to reach out."

"She was speaking about...actually no. Wait, no, she was talking to someone."

"I couldn't do anything. I was frozen in place as I listened to her sing. What were screaming fans became only her voice. It was surreal and completely unnatural compared to the other concerts I've attended."

"Something stood out to me as she sang, though."

"When the second verse of the song came around, she wasn't looking at the audience. She turned her attention upward as if she was singing to the sky or someone high up. I wanted to see if she was looking at someone, so I turned around, but it was just nothing but darkness. The only thing that I could make out was just a flat layer of the stadium below the ceiling, but there wasn't anyone I could see. I think she was looking at the sky."

"Was she at a loss? Did she lose someone? Was she sad or depressed because she lost something? I don't know, but that's what my theory is."

"The band left the stage, but everyone cheered her on, then it gradually became murmurs. It would be huge news to fans if Iwasawa got herself a boyfriend or even had a boyfriend in the first place. That's what everyone talked about, and it became a trend in social media overnight. Everyone started talking about it, and my theory pretty much lines up with everyone else's. Some views took the idea that she met someone somewhere but can't stop thinking about them."

"I wanted to know what she truly meant, though. She really has become a figure of inspiration for me, so I hope for an opportunity to ask her. Maybe I'll even try my hand at guitar?"

"I seem to be pretty good at it so far."

* * *

A couple of days have passed following Otonashi's first operation in conjunction with both Girls Dead Monster and The Guild. Otonashi, who had slowly become accustomed to the everyday life he now has with the battlefront, is now suffering from constant dread. The harsh life he now lives is now under pressure by human attraction and sympathy to pain. It was an odd thing: being in pain because someone else is in pain. He asked himself: Is this what they call love?

The song she sang previously had despair painted all over it, and its unanticipated completion from the Afterlife had only clarified the image of what she thought of him.

Whoever knew of Iwasawa's experience would obviously know who she was referring to. The look that Ooyama gave him was recognition, as a result of her looking up at them as she spoke her desire. As Takamatsu and Ooyama were fans of Girls Dead Monster, and more so Masami Iwasawa herself, they held a special connection and believed in a deeper meaning. That deeper meaning was the understanding of her experiences versus the lyrics that came out of her mouth. They analyzed her as someone who knew her in ways beyond your typical fan who could only see her at a gig or out in public by random chance.

Ooyama never knew why she looked up at them. Why she looked at Otonashi and tried to tell him whatever message she attempted to convey. It seemed easy for others to interpret, but to him, he was unable to understand the definition of the final piece to her song. That last part was undeniable in who it was directed to, but to understand how it came to that point was problematic.

After receiving a text from Yuri, Otonashi returned to the battlefront's underground base beneath the mall late in the night. He had arrived earlier for the daily meeting, but remaining in everyone else's presence was uncomfortable. He was only able to hold short conversations but made attempts to cut them short to return home. He knew she was there whenever something like that occurred, but he deemed making his presence short in the base was to be the best choice for both of them. If she were to make the decision to go up to him and confess whatever feelings she had for him, she could do so easily. Granted, she gets over whatever mental barriers that lay in front of her.

To Otonashi, it wasn't easy for him to reciprocate feelings that he had never properly experienced before. This was an easier decision. Easy for both of them. Then came the hypocrisy. He never got to see her face to face, but she can always catch up to him whenever she wanted.

Then he opened his personal schedule up, allowing what he considers free time. Though, it's what he wanted to tell himself. The conflict that arose within him wanted her to talk to him. To say hi and to bring him off to the side. On the other side of his brain, he didn't want her to come up to him at all. Loneliness was a better alternative, and for times where he is placed under these circumstances, one that no one would ever see themselves in, it was the rational choice. It was also extremely toxic.

Otonashi decided to leave his motorcycle outside, taking his key with him. The uniform was too tedious to put on for what appeared to be a short meeting, so he put on the same black hoodie when he went to the hospital and some jeans. His hood wasn't covering the top of his head, but his hair was a bit roughed up from being buried in his pillow.

As he walked through the underground base, only the sound of his shoes and the very light chatter from a far-away room echoed through the big room. Looking to the left, he spotted the familiar cars parked backward. He slowed his footsteps but eventually continued to Yuri's office.

"Excuse me..." Otonashi said with a relatively quiet voice as he opened the door. The room lights were a bit dim, but Yuri's figure was easy to make out as she typed away on her laptop.

"Oh. Yuzuru. That was rather quick," she noted to him, clicking something on her laptop before closing it and putting it under the desk.

"Yeah. I had nothing to do," he spoke casually. Although he was unaware of it, Yuri's eye twitched at his boring response.

"Then that's quite fortunate. What have you been up to the past couple of days?"

"Other than coming here to train and attend the meetings, nothing else...ma'am."

She visibly recoiled to his response.

"Do you want me to hit you or something?" A sly smile formed on her face as she raised her hand and tightened it, making a fist. It signalled a playful threat to him. "You're older than me, sir."

"Okay, okay." Otonashi raised his hands in defeat, admitting failure to their little banter of an introduction. Hearing her return, his retort was comedic and a throwback to when things were good, but that was no longer the case. However, she did ask a question of a serious nature pertaining to his personal situation. With how she acts, Otonashi always held her words to suspicion.

This girl was always suspicious from the start. He had to experiment and see what specific triggers get her to react and get a detailed response from her. Happiness but still a somewhat somber attitude is what he thinks she expected from him. She was a leader, a perfect one.

"Anyway. I called you this late because I wanted to assign you to an operation we conduct every so often."

"Alright. Will I be partnered up with Ooyama again?" Otonashi asked her, but she shook her head.

"Eheh. That's the thing: We don't actually conduct this specific operation. You're going to be working with members of The Guild, rather than people like Ooyama-kun, Takamatsu-kun, and Hinata-kun."

Otonashi took the opportunity to take a seat on one of the couches in the middle. Still observing him, she lifted herself off her seat and walked over to him, only to be blocked by his legs.

"I'm going to sit beside you, so move your leg."

He looked at her for a brief second before obliging to her command, bringing his leg closer to the couch so she had room to squeeze through. Even to her command, she could've quickly walked around to take her desired place. She sat down beside him, leaning back on the couch and placing her arm on the couch's right armrest. As she settled deeper into the sofa, she began to brief him on his next operation.

"You're going to be providing security in our meeting with one of our biggest clients. The Yakuza." Yuri peered over to watch Otonashi's reaction to her choice of words, but he only stared forward, with only intent to listen to her. She continued.

"Every so often, we reconfirm our deals with them to ensure we're on the same page regarding buying and selling products. They also sometimes make special requests or require certain changes in how we conduct things to make sure our relationship and cooperation stays how it is."

"Scratch my back, and I scratch yours," Otonashi replied dully, to which Yuri nodded slightly.

"Basically."

"What am I supposed to say to these guys? Do you have a list of things to keep track of?"

"Oh, you won't have to do any talking. You'll be providing security. The guy you'll be escorting handles that."

Otonashi thought about her statements and looked at her.

"This seems pretty important. Why isn't any of the Top Brass participating in this operation?"

"It is, but at the same time, it isn't. It's much less significant and less dangerous since we have dealt with them before, so there's really no need to have us out there."

"You want to put me as boots on the ground with actual dangers," Otonashi remarked.

"So you can get used to how we operate," Yuri finished off.

"We're essentially a private military company and less of a criminal organization with the way you put words together, Yuri."

"More or less. Also, I gave thought about what you said before."

There was a bit of a pause before he continued speaking.

"Is that so...?" He listlessly asked her with the intention of analyzing her feedback. However, Yuri herself did not move in any way. She had no visible reaction such as a twitch or a shaking of the hands, further complicating his understanding of her as a person.

"...Have trust in me when I say that I'm looking to get us out of this way of life." The words she spoke felt surface level and flat, almost like they were being read off an autocue in front of a camera.

"Huh. Interesting." Were the only words that came out of his mouth. Contrary to the definition of the words he used, Otonashi was disinterested in her change of heart.

"You don't sound satisfied."

He shook his head.

"I don't think you worry about whether or not I'm satisfied."

"..." She could only remain silent to the accusation.

"Lay down the plan for me. I want to leave." With his statement up against her throat, she had no reason to ponder the basis of it. She understood exactly where he's coming from, and it was all based on her personality. She knew that.

In this supposed calculated move, he kept his eyes forward, not wanting to look her directly in the eye. If she were going to answer the question, she would have to look him in the eyes or sound really convincing, which wouldn't work. Not in real life anyway. It would only have worked if it was the other world, to where he was brainwashed into thinking the easily comprehensible. The only barriers that existed between understanding the truth and believing what Yuri would say were fear and pressure. That fear was the unknown, and that pressure was everyone in the same boat as he was, who fell to such predatory intentions.

They all succumbed to their fears, led only by the courage of one Yuri Nakamura. When it was revealed who Angel was and that Yuri had been leading them on a false leash this entire time, the doubts that arose would've begun an insurrection. Her authority toppled down, and all the people who she fought alongside and fought for had mostly turned their backs.

It was no wonder why he doubted her statement.

And as such, there was a decent chance that whatever she would request of him would have some kind of underlying purpose unknown to him.

"One second."

He could hear her stand up and walk around to her desk, avoiding his physical presence before returning back. In his peripheral vision, he could see her push down a rolled-up large piece of paper.

"All this technology. You have a screen that can electronically display whatever you want it to be, and you have a paper map."

"Pay attention, Otonashi-kun."

_Hm._ He already took notice that the undesirable attitude is taking effect on her.

Otonashi leaned forward and looked upon the paper map in which was just more or less a satellite version of the area they resided in. A big metropolitan area stood in the center of the map, and a circle marked the battlefront's base. Going down south saw more space in between each building, signifying the industrial zone that Otonashi recalled the Guild's base in. Another circle marked the Guild's general area.

"This is us." Yuri pointed to the circle that was more or less in the center of the map.

"This is where you and a couple of others will go to the meeting point." Using the pencil, she traced a route going north, completely going over the buildings. As she continued to draw the route, her hand sometimes veered off slightly to the left or right. Almost as if her hand was shaking, perhaps due to some pre-existing condition or nervousness.

"The line that I drew will often be random routes going up North. Sometimes it's randomized, and sometimes it's not. As far as we're concerned, law enforcement hasn't gotten on our backs, and I want to keep it like that."

Otonashi placed his hand under his chin, taking in the information that she relayed to him before a thought came to his mind. The thought was something he would rather voice aloud, as concerns regarding his safety were paramount.

"Seems counter-intuitive. Going random routes would just increase your visibility. If someone were watching you, they'd definitely notice what'd you be up to and spend the resources to do so. These random routes from our base would just seem odd, and if they're tracking you, it will increase suspicion."

"Your thoughts are to be commended as they are completely valid, Otonashi-kun," Yuri commented.

"I just want to know that we're safe."

"That's why I said the routes are sometimes randomized. A typical business day would be them just taking the fastest route there. However, in times of events where there is increased police presence in certain districts, or if something is going down either publicly or with us, we can't afford to be stopped along the way."

"And why is that?"

"Everywhere we go, we go armed."

...

_No, that makes sense, actually._

"Fair enough."

"The reason why we go arm- Huh?" Yuri cut herself off mid-sentence, unaware that Otonashi had actually understood the why to her previous statement.

"Yeah. Fair enough."

Concealment was a huge factor, of course. Most of the time, that applies to high civilian populations or when there is an overwhelming enemy force. On the other hand, when you're dealing with a large force that could potentially destroy you with the resources they have, one would want to make a statement that they are a legitimate business partner.

And to not fuck with them.

Their meeting point was going to be inside another industrial complex, but this time it was to the north where the population was more sparse, and the surrounding area was more rural. Fewer people means less chance of police showing up, which was good for them.

"Anyways. As I said, you're just providing security. Show up tomorrow at seven o'clock at night."

"Is that it?" Otonashi asked for final confirmation.

"Yeah...You're free to go."

"Well then. Goodnight, Yuri."

"Goodnight, Otonashi-kun."

Yuri rolled up the map as Otonashi stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets and walking out the room. As she placed the map back into its appropriate cabinet, she turned around and looked at Otonashi's back as he took a sharp turn around the final door, disappearing from her sight.

Her head drooped down, and her eyes became glossy. Settling back into her seat, she puts her head down and wraps her arms together, shielding herself from the outside world.

* * *

Silence.

That's all there was following his conversation with her. Around this time at night, it was expected that there wouldn't be many activities going on within the base. Some thoughts arose in his mind that he never really gave any power to think about.

What did the battlefront do in this specific location?

Various sections of the base exist. However, despite his familiarity with the group, its people, and how it works, he still doesn't know where to go. For a labyrinth of a base, only about four or five places he's actually visited. With more uncharted territory to be explored, maybe heading home can be held off for a bit to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

_I wonder if there's a vending machine down here..._

He pondered more, but a physical stimulation knocked him out of his thoughts. He effectively stopped in place, but what stopped him was something unordinary. Unexpected.

A hand, in which that hand belonged to a figure who stared daggers at him. Her back was completely straight, with her posture unfazed. Someone as heavy as Otonashi wouldn't be able to move her an inch from her original position.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings, Otonashi-san," Shiina said.

"You're right. My bad."

"Indeed. You looked straight at me and still walked knowing I was in front of you."

"Was I...?" Otonashi asked rhetorically. To be truthful, his brain wasn't processing the constant flow of images that his eyes provided.

"I must be blind then."

"So it seems."

Otonashi gawked at her. In light of Shiina's new behavior, it was unlikely for her to address someone more casually. The undersocialized, self-proclaimed female ninja was engaged in active conversation for the first time.

He could only ever recall talking to Shiina a handful of times, and all of those conversations never seemed to last more than ten seconds. He reverted his thoughts to exploring the battlefront's base and had secretly hoped someone could show him around. Worst case, his first option was Hinata, but he didn't really want to bother him. While he was comfortable asking Hinata as he's always relied on him, he never wanted to do so continually.

Exploring on his own was another option, too, but Shiina had already been with the battlefront for a reasonable amount of time. There shouldn't be any harm in asking.

Shiina began to walk past Otonashi, merely brushing past him before he placed his hand on her shoulder. It causes her to stop in place.

"Where are you off to?"

"..." Shiina remained silent as she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes paid attention to his hand on her shoulder. Seeing this, Otonashi immediately regretted his action and awaited a fatal punishment, moving his head back in a cowering fashion. One should not place their body parts on another, especially a woman who had the skill to take one's life away.

She didn't seem to have any thoughts in what people may perceive to be a rather bold move.

"Training. Helps me go to sleep when I'm not tired," she stated as a matter of fact.

_Well. It's now or never._

With a bit of hesitation, Otonashi opened his mouth.

"Mind if I tag along?" He attempted to ask her nonchalantly to hide his bout of nervousness.

She had turned her head back and continued walking towards her destination, causing his hand to fall. Ahead of Shiina was a hallway with doors on each side and a stairwell that only led them deeper into the lower levels of the battlefront's base. As inches became feet, Otonashi took the signal that she was in no mood to have a person like him following her like a puppy.

"Sorry..." He whispered to himself, to which Shiina was already out of his reach.

She stopped herself and turned around back to Otonashi, her face still lacking any visible emotion from beginning to end of the conversation.

"You coming?"

Her unexpected response was something he could only nod to in surprise before running after her to catch up.

Shiina waited at the stairs and headed down, with Otonashi following close behind.

After a few minutes of walking, Otonashi stopped at a pair of glass doors that led to a room. The sign above the doors was labeled with white letters against a black background.

_Training Room._ Otonashi internally thought.

While Shiina had said nothing on the way to the training room, it was his fault for not explicitly asking for a tour. Shiina began to fumble around with something in front of her, but Otonashi was unable to view what she was doing due to her body in the way. Shiina moved her head left and right and a bit above her shirt, he could make out little metal balls that formed a necklace. The object that was assumed to be in front of her was still out of sight, but the double doors slid into the wall, indicating that they were granted access.

Shiina put the object linked to her necklace inside her shirt and looked back to Otonashi before stepping in. Following close behind her, he noticed that she was carrying a bag of some sort. Context clues given; it was her gear for training or spare clothes.

Looking around the training room, the sign outside was advertising a half-assed truth. There existed some foundations of training like punching bags, grappling dummies, and two sparring rings on one side. On the other side were a ton of spaced out devices for weight lifting for any body part one could wish. Upon entry into the room, to the right was a break area with chairs and a wide cabinet that had an assortment of opaque plastic jars that were holding supplements such as pre-workout and protein powder.

A bit off to the break area's side was a first aid station, which held a plastic container. Within it held a black messenger bag with a red cross over it, in which its size far surpassed the necessity of first aid. Beside it was another plastic container that had an automated external defibrillator.

Whether it was Yuri's doing or some other person who advocated for medical supplies in different areas, it was to be commended. Even though gear can be carried on one's person in the battlefront's base, there is no such thing as being overprepared, at least for their circumstances. The level of intricacy for someone to save you in a heartbeat is heartwarming and brings an overwhelming sense of calm. It also brings a lingering sense of urgency.

It sure does provide a feeling of safety around them.

Putting his observations aside, his eyes move toward Shiina, who was kneeling down in the wide-open space between the machines closest to them. She sorted through her bag, making sure all the objects she brought with her were accounted for.

Then she stood up and started to take her shirt off; her skin from the waist started revealing itself. Her potentially nude body was probably not appropriate, especially when it seems that anyone can move freely around the base at any time. As such, Otonashi wanted to voice his immediate concerns.

"Shiina." Otonashi's voice made her stop midway through taking her shirt off.

"Hm?"

"Someone could come in."

"No one comes in at this time."

After her confirmation, Otonashi found himself still staring at Shiina, simply waiting for her to do what she would do. Initially, he tagged along to get a tour, but his lack of clear communication skills has put him in a spot where he would get killed. Her skin slowly revealed itself, a porcelain sheen that has a layer of toughness within it. While her skin wasn't one of an underground dweller, it still was noticeably brighter than her colleagues.

The feeling of turning away was great, and just waiting milliseconds increases the perversion factor exponentially. Yet, he could only adore the strong female.

She continues taking off her shirt, and as it passes her breasts, it was revealed that her front lady parts were actually covered by some sort of black wrapping. The wrap went around her entire body, therefore revealing nothing but her shoulders and stomach. Throwing her shirt inside the bag, she lacked any compassion for the inanimate object, leaving it unfolded and probably wrinkled.

He closed his eyes and silently sighed. At least she wasn't some sort of exhibitionist.

"Well?"

Otonashi looked at Shiina, who stared intently in his eyes.

"Is there anything you wanted to do?"

"..." The spider of uneasiness crawled across his back and onto his neck. This wasn't going to end well. Intentions were mistaken, information was incorrect, and context was suddenly crucial.

"I honestly just wanted a tour."

"...I see," Shiina nodded.

"That can wait. Get on the mat."

"Huh?"

_Oh fuck._

* * *

For a girl who operated mostly by herself, she was willing to incorporate Otonashi into her daily training routine. Depending on what she wanted to work on, she would work out her muscles, focus on technique, concentration, and various moves. According to Shiina, there have been occasions where they were required to take a person alive, thus requiring some restraint.

Otonashi wondered about the times where they weren't required to use some restraint.

The ethical dilemma of operating under the law and what the background was of the mission was complicated. As far as introducing Otonashi back into the fold, not much was told about stuff they had done previously. The little traces he was able to pick up was how powerful his friends became, despite being such a tiny group. The saying goes that looks weren't everything, which was proved by Yuri not too long ago.

Many have wondered where Shiina gets her abilities from. From jumping to high heights to running at insane speeds. The answer to that question is simple. Consistency. Shiina never skipped out on training. Starting from a proper warm-up and stretching to a proper cool down and stretching. Stretching was one thing she emphasized, but the woman herself wasn't much of a talker. Everything went along the lines of being important and a follow-up explanation. As a man of medical knowledge, the vague explanations that were given were all he needed to understand fully.

While he understood, it doesn't mean he followed such procedures to the letter.

Slam!

Otonashi crumpled to the ground after Shiina performed a maneuver in which she wrapped around his body on a certain section. His footing became loose due to her slamming into him with her momentum, and he fell with her on top. She quickly locked him into place, applying all her body weight to keep him on the floor face down. Anytime he tried to move, would she decide to induce pain. In this particular situation, his arm was being outstretched even though it was behind him.

He tapped the floor, indicating he was done and Shiina let go of him the first two taps in. With the pain gone from his arm, he sighed in relief, and the weight on him disappeared. If there were any doubts about her capabilities, they have washed away in the sea of pain he experienced.

"You seem to do pretty well, Otonashi-san."

Otonashi could only breathe heavily and close his eyes in response. He had followed every single thing that Shiina has told him to do, and the copious amount of sweat and aching of his body parts were evidence of that. He was reminded once more of his poor athleticism, and the slight praise from Shiina did nothing to help with his confidence. Two hours have passed, and while he's heard of the ongoing myth that working out too long would be useless, she followed him around, making sure he was doing all the workouts correctly.

Midway through, Otonashi inquired about Shiina's involvement in the operation he was partaking the day after, but she said that she had no clue what he was talking about. As they continued to train, he felt her expectations falter, and it was the same for her. She expected him to fail in all aspects nearly. What was surprising to him was how dedicated she was to make sure he was doing it correctly and spotted him whenever he couldn't do something.

"Move this arm up."

"Raise it a bit higher."

"Hold it. Good."

What was unprecedented was her kindness. She never berated him. Never told him that he was hopeless. Never told him that he was stupid. Saved him every single time he was about to fall apart before her. If he didn't know her, he would have expected her to be some hardcore fitness guru.

And yet, she never took him for anyone lesser than her. That may have been true for some people, but she would ignore most people. Training with Shiina was hell, but he felt good about himself for once. Even if it was the first time working out for him and his muscles screamed bloody murder, he could feel the results of working at maximum efficiency.

Using all the strength he could muster, he rolled himself so he could face upward and put himself in a sitting position with one arm over his bent leg. The mat provided a reasonable comfort level to sit on, but in the heat of immense pain and adrenaline, one could care less about what sat on. He looked to his left and saw Shiina sitting down beside him, with one leg straight and the other bent. While her head faced forward, her eyes were closed as she controlled her breaths.

As she was distracted through her own means, Otonashi analyzed Shiina's figure once more. It has been nearly seven years since he came about, and her origins to him are still a mystery. What was most peculiar was her attitude towards him. Hearing her actions from word of mouth was unbelievable, yet her attitude towards him, despite being quite frank, was that of a friend. She has yet to do anything significant or say anything significant about him.

Her hair shined against the ceiling lights, the blue in her hair became exaggerated. The reflection of her hair moved up and down as she breathed. Her muscles were not huge but were clearly refined. He noticed a line that ran across her tricep that clearly looked like a lengthy cut, but otherwise, the rest of her skin was preserved. As the blood gathered around the cut, gravity forced the blood that pooled outside the wound to drip down. There were a couple of other scratches on her shoulder, but nothing that breached skin.

Even for an injury as small as that, he never liked the sight of a wound untreated. The chance of infection is low, but never zero. Thinking of how important Shiina might be, treated injuries are better than untreated ones. While a cut might seem small, in a hospital setting it is absolutely not a good thing, keeping in touch with potential biohazards and proper protocol.

In all his power, Otonashi took the time to stand up and grunted aloud, causing Shiina to open her eyes and observe him. He walked towards the break area, which held the medical kit, opening the container and putting it on him before walking back to Shiina. As he stood above her, she only looked at him with a blank stare.

"What are you doing?"

"You have a cut on your tricep. I'm treating you."

"That's unnecessary," Shiina shook her head at him.

Otonashi attempted to kneel down, but his muscles couldn't bear the slightest strain, and his knee hit the mat with more force than he was expecting. He opened the messenger bag and was greeted with organized chaos. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she instinctively recoiled. However, he slightly pulled her toward him and checked the small wound.

"Just stay still, you fool," he ordered her.

As Otonashi dug around the kit to find antiseptic, he could hear an odd sound come from Shiina. It was too sudden to hear properly, but a reaction to his statement before was one of surprise. Either way, it was nice to hear her address him in a different tone. One where they weren't in any danger or one where she disregarded him. As he continued to dig around, Otonashi was having trouble looking for antiseptic and was getting pissed off. Seeing his frustration, Shiina pointed to a pouch that was outside the main bag.

Upon opening it, a couple of ziplock bags showed various topical treatments, including antiseptic. Looking carefully at the packaging, he verified that the antiseptic wasn't one that burned, wasn't tampered with, and wasn't expired. Gloves weren't needed for a wound this small. Grabbing small gauze pads, he wiped away the blood and tore open the antiseptic before applying it. The bandaid of the right size was found, and he carefully applied it, making sure to cover the entire wound with the pad.

Picking up all of his trash, he picked up the medical bag and walked back over to its storage with great difficulty, and returned back to Shiina empty-handed.

"You don't have to give me a tour today."

Silence followed for a few seconds before she spoke with a heavy sigh.

"If that's what you want." Shiina quickly stood up and headed over to her bag and before grabbing and putting on her shirt. She looked back to Otonashi, and Otonashi looked back at her, wondering if she had something to say. Her typical stoic expression was retained, but there was a subtle change that was difficult to notice at first glance. It was quite easy to determine what kind of look Shiina gives as it is often disappointment or disgust. This time, it was undecipherable.

Shiina turned away, but Otonashi's voice rang out, intent on looking at her one more time.

"Shiina." She turned around quickly.

"What?"

Nothing.

"Thank you."

She nodded at him and exited the training room, the doors closed shut, leaving him in solitude.

* * *

The soreness didn't hurt as bad as it did. Normally the soreness would begin to set in around two days after the intense workout, but only mild tiredness followed. Getting his gear on took a bit, but nonetheless, he arrived a few minutes before the scheduled time in his vest, belt, backpack, and firearms. A locker was desperately needed to store his other things, and while driving back and forth was nice, it no longer seemed like a practical option. The work was just about to start, and he was in no shape to disappoint or fail with the circumstances at hand.

Yuri's office had the door wide open, and he could see a total of four people inside, with Yuri herself blocked by the rest of them surrounding her table. He knocks on the wall beside the door to announce his presence.

"Excuse me." Moving his rifle to his dominant hand, he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. His first eye contact was with Yuri, who looked at him before resuming the work she was doing on her laptop. The three figures turned around to view Otonashi, and he gave a small wave to them.

"Good drive, Otonashi-san?" Yuri asked out loud.

"It was alright."

The only female of the trio took the initiative and walked toward him with her hand stuck out. She had shoulder-length bobbed brown hair and light brown/honey eyes. To Otonashi, it was odd enough that all of these unknown people seemed to have some sort of unique feature that made them unique.

"I'm Akiyama Satsuki. Nice to meet you," she introduced herself. Her voice had an affectionate tone, and her smile was bright like a child's ignorance. Wanting to return her welcoming personality, Otonashi smiled back at her and took his hand in hers.

"Yuzuru Otonashi. Pleased to meet you." Otonashi let go of her hand but she took a step forward, entering his personal bubble as she observed his facial features. A smirk formed on her face as he wanted to provide some distance but couldn't find the courage to. It made him a bit uncomfortable as he carefully watched her, unsure of what her intentions are.

"You're kind of cute."

_..._

"Akiyama...Another time?" One of the other two figures spoke out, taking the opportunity to step forward and push her away from him. Otonashi felt relief as he stuck his hand out.

"Furukawa Genji. Sorry about her. She should remember she has a boyfriend." Otonashi could feel gruff in his voice, and the extra emphasis in the word made him look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Tch!" She looked away with crossed arms.

"Nice to meet you too." Otonashi shook Genji's stretched hand and turned to the final member.

"And you are?"

"Tsujihara Takashi. Glad to have you with us." Takashi had a 'cool' feeling about him. He spoke his words with grace and had a reassuring attitude.

"Appreciate it."

"We're in a sticky situation..." Otonashi could hear Akiyama mumble silently but ignored it.

"Glad you all introduced yourselves. Let's cut to the chase. Once again, this is Yuzuru Otonashi..."

"He's the one who found out the purpose of the Afterlife. The one with the opposing ideals and the same one who gave the speech to us."

...

"So that was you then? You just keep getting more and more interesting," the female spoke, walking towards Otonashi with unknown intent once more before she got placed into a chokehold by her teammate.

"Infidelity. Is. Not. Allowed." With every word that Takashi spoke, he only decreased the distance between his elbow and his own neck, causing the flirty female to choke out loud as she struggled to let him go. In an attempt to get him off her, she made three attempts to elbow him around the abs, with the last attempt finally able to make contact. A firm impact followed, and he loosened his grip around her enough to make her slip through the millisecond opening. She turned around and pushed him away from her.

Otonashi chuckled at the banter and fighting. Differences aside, it felt right at home.

"No, it's alright. Really," he reassured Takashi, waving his available hand up and down to emphasize that he was tolerable.

"I'm not looking for anything right now."

"Are you all done having fun?" Yuri quickly cut in after Otonashi's sentence, seemingly annoyed by the events that unfolded before her. She leaned back into her chair and folded her arms. Anything the trio was doing was stopped, and they assumed standard postures, although one particular female was pouting silently after exiting her fighting stance.

"Either way. You already know the sich. Otonashi, come to my side for a second. Gotta show you something." Yuri motioned for Otonashi to come over, and he walked around, firearm still in hand. Yuri turned the laptop towards her right side, where Otonashi leaned forward to analyze what was on the screen. It was a digital map, which indicated the route that they were going to take. Using her trackpad, Yuri zoomed into the specific location where the meetup was taking place, and various markers were placed in what seemed to be strategic positions.

Two dots were beside the entrance to which the route was drawn, and the remainder of the dots were placed around the site, with two being in square or rectangular shapes. Yuri's cursor went over one of the dots at the entrance, and his name popped up in a little text box.

"This is you. You basically make sure anyone that comes through stays away. However, protocol follows first. You radio in the possible threat, and then you deal with it."

"Sorry, 'deal with it'?"

"Tell them to leave the area. If they're acting shady, drop them. We've done many dealings with the Yakuza that we know what to expect of them and vice versa."

"Got it."

"Alright. If there aren't any more questions, disband!"

Otonashi and the others left Yuri's office, with the medic walking behind everyone else as they chatted among themselves. For Yuri to give an introduction to him, one wouldn't want to appear as a show-off of any kind. Otonashi understood the problem of stepping on their toes and their way of doing things. He refused to disrupt their peace and livelihood to get to know them.

Once again, he reverted to the already tried and true method of silence, and it worked out most of the time. If they feel willing to accept him, he'd instead let them go up to him and initiate a conversation, despite already doing introductions.

It was exactly how he expected it to go, as they continued to talk to each other without bothering him. They boarded their vehicle, and Otonashi waited till everyone sat inside to find his appropriate place in the battlefront's primary vehicle. Taking his position on the passenger's seat behind the driver, he took off his medical pack and placed it on the middle seat while setting his rifle on the floor, pointing downwards. Verifying his weapon was on safe, he leaned back into the chair, leaving the seatbelt provided for him by the manufacturer alone.

The vehicle was on the move, and after a few minutes of maneuvering through the base to the elevator, he found himself looking out the window. The city lights and bustling human activity pierced through the tinted window. In this forbidden utopia, various human sights were seen, significant others were together, workers returned home, or a couple of guys were looking for a place to drink. All sorts of activities that any typical person would do appeared for a split second as the vehicle drove with calm urgency through the city streets.

"So, tough guy. You know about this business?" Takashi broke the silence; his attention still focused on the road. On occasion, he checked his rear-view mirror to get a sight picture of what was behind him, which included a glimpse of Otonashi's face.

"Mm. Only what I need to know."

"Oi oi, 'tough guy'?" Akiyama stood up a bit from her seat, clearly dissatisfied with Takashi's way with words.

"You're giving Otonashi a nickname, and you JUST met the guy," Akiyama pointed out.

"I just want to ensure he won't fuck anything up."

"He won't. You need to chill out." Genji threw his two cents at Takashi. His firm attitude and the rebuttals from his teammates made it clear he was the leader of this team. As Otonashi held his opinions away from everyone, he could sympathize with him. He frankly didn't care what anyone called him, and since his position was made quite clear, he could take the pressure off the guy.

"It's okay. This is just proof that he cares," Otonashi looked towards the rebellious two with a smile. Akiyama sat back into her seat properly, clearing her throat as Genji stared forward with his arms crossed.

Otonashi's eyes looked into the rear-view mirror and could quickly tell that the driver was looking at him. A slight nod came from Takashi, and Otonashi immediately knew that he garnered the respect of him in just a few moments they engaged with each other.

"You're a nice guy, Otonashi-san. Don't take what he says to heart; he's just a hard-ass sometimes. Like you said yourself, he cares," Akiyama lifted her finger, then her expression turned to slight animosity as that finger retracted itself. Then her hand curled into a fist.

"He just doesn't know how to say it sometimes." Her voice was clearly strained. It didn't take a mathematician to know that the flaws in the group stem from authoritarian leadership. However, there still existed that calm over everyone's head. It was hard to understand, but Otonashi had a feeling that they trusted each other deeply. A question arose whether or not their unique personalities are the reason this team stays together as if they are the well-lubricated cogs of a machine.

As they are cogs of a machine, it would beg the question of their backgrounds. What led up to them going to the afterlife, and how everything has changed now. In movies, they would be quite similar to a person watching the main storyline flow by or a side character that gets easily discarded as the story dictates. Or it could be a sort of video game, where they just spawn in and exist only for the moment before they disappear due to the player's screen turning in a different direction.

It only dawned upon him how important these people could be. They weren't just mere NPCs that you pass by on the street. Everyone has lived their own lives, and everything about them formed what they are today: their values, their beliefs, their hearts, their families.

In the final meeting with the battlefront, he went over how the afterlife was not a place to defy God or to keep holding regrets. He only caused doubts in their minds with what he learned then.

As the drive went on, Genji took out a suppressor and handed it to Otonashi. Not asking why, he screwed the suppressor onto his rifle and placed it back down. The buildings started to get replaced by nature's greenery and sparse signs of civilization. The occasional lights from the house off into the distance began to turn off in preparation for the cold night, and civilization felt farther away. Unknown to most people, people with nefarious intentions, high off their mind, or organized crime prowl the night.

Otonashi and his team were one of those who lurked under cover of darkness and blended in with everyday society at day, ready to respond to those that pose a threat to them with deadly force.

_It really is a shame that it has come to this._

The vehicle slowed down, and another vehicle pulled in front of them, with Takashi following behind them. The vehicles have no reason to converge and roll in a convoy this late except for one reason.

The speeds of both vehicles increased, and for such a slight buildup of events, Otonashi could feel his heartbeat raise. Adrenaline was a bitch, and his brain defined a faster vehicle speed as a potentially dangerous situation that required his full attention. Although the true reason was less than a mile away.

As the objective came close, Otonashi slipped on his helmet, clipping it in place. Tapping the helmet to ensure it wouldn't move, he quickly attached the night vision goggle, moving it in front of his right eye and turning it on. Contrary to movies and video games, there is no high-pitched sound that occurs when you turn it on. It's just a click, and the ambient light is amplified through its technology.

One thing he recalled from Ayane was how night vision worked. It doesn't just work right out of the box. Even if you're in a dark place, there has to be some source of light, no matter how minor. If it's pitch black with no moonlight, covered by clouds, and no other sources of light, you're just as blind as a person without night vision.

With the entrance approaching fast, Takashi told his team to get ready as he still followed behind the front vehicle.

Both vehicles pulled up to the entrance, and the order was given to get out. His rifle already in his hand, he kept his hand on the grip with the finger off the trigger as he opened the door. Rushing out, his hand went back onto the angled foregrip on his firearm and peered through the iron sights. However, the image was blurred, so he quickly moved to a hip view.

His heartbeat rose significantly as he rapidly looked in every direction, making sure to clear the immediate areas of any potential threats before yelling out that it was clear. The front vehicle's occupants got back in their own vehicle and drove into the compound, while Takashi got back in as the rest of his team assumed their positions.

Akiyama took her place parallel to Otonashi just a few feet away, all according to the map. Closing the door using his back, he felt the vehicle he was just in begin to pull away as Takashi did a U-turn to have the vehicle face outward.

**"Otonashi, this is Furukawa. Radio check."**

Otonashi quickly pulled out his radio from his pouch using his non-grip hand and transmitted his response back to Genji.

**"Furukawa, this is Otonashi. Loud and clear."** Otonashi put his radio back into its pouch before continuing to scan the area. He could hear Furukawa continue to do radio checks with the rest of his team, but Otonashi was unaware of where he physically was.

"We really need to get you an earpiece or something," Akiyama commented aloud.

"I'm still freaking out about what I should be looking for..."

"Anything that moves. Don't worry. I'm with you on that one. Just to let you know, the Yakuza pull up in two black sedans. You're a bit higher than me, so you should see them first."

"Where are they coming from?"

"The road. You really are quite nervous, aren't you?"

"You can say that again," Otonashi agreed with her question.

"Hah! That's so cute!"

"..."

A few minutes pass by, and he continues to observe his surroundings. Surrounding the complex that they were guarding were various hills and industrial-like buildings of various heights, with the city lights in full view amongst the horizon. As the bright lights added to the light pollution, the sky around the city was of higher brightness than the immediate areas surrounding him. If he had the time, a picture would have been nice to take.

Keeping his rifle at a low ready position, the road itself gradually became brighter as a pair of headlights get into view, enhanced by the green tint the night vision provided. Then another pair of headlights came behind the first one.

"Akiyama-sama! Two vehicles just appeared on the road!"

"It's them. Right on time." Her voice was low as if to bring in a serious tone to her words.

**"Furukawa, this is Akiyama. They've arrived, over."**

**"Akiyama, this is Furukawa, understood. Wave them through and look non-threatening as much as possible. Out."**

"Non-threatening? What does that mean?"

"Finger off the trigger and keep your gun down. Let me wave them through," she declared to Otonashi, who had no choice but to abide by her orders. His position was below everyone, but the fact that some of the most obvious reiterations were said gradually made him more worried.

Looking to his left behind Akiyama, the car they came in had the headlights turned off and was clear of the entrance with Takashi still in the driver seat. One hand appeared on the steering wheel while the other was down as if he was holding something but had to keep it out of view.

The vehicles approached, and with the brightness exponentially getting higher, Otonashi couldn't help but put his hand in front of the night vision in order to mitigate the amount of light coming through. The two vehicles drew close and ultimately passed him at high speed, with Akiyama motioning her hand to move on through. The darkness came back to claim the complex with the exception of the inside, and Otonashi couldn't help but look at Akiyama, who just nodded at him.

"Good job Otonashi-san. Though, 'sama' is a bit too much, don'tcha think?"

"I don't expect them to take any more than ten minutes."

"In circumstances like these, however, it's best to stay on alert."

Akiyama turned to him, her cap firm on her head as she looked into Otonashi's soul. She ran toward him in a threatening manner, despite her firearm not being pointed at him directly. Her non-dominant hand left her rifle, and she pulled Otonashi by his shirt collar, bringing him close to her as much as she wanted. Her physical strength was underestimated, and with her being so small with a powerful display, he was the one who felt intimidated.

"But I can spend at least a couple of seconds not paying attention."

He had never felt so small in a world he was beginning to understand. In the face of possible death or a beatdown, his true value was put to the test.

"I wanted to apologize for Takashi. When he doubted your words regarding the afterlife and called bullshit, he wasn't thinking straight. A lot of us weren't. After we put a huge amount of trust in you when the shadows came, the lives we began to live now were simply because you were correct."

As she poured her words into him, Takashi could only sit in his car and watch the duo.

"When we go back to base, you need to realize what you may have set in motion."

**"This is Furukawa. They're leaving. Get prepped to leave. Out."**

That calm demeanor everyone had was now gone and replaced with uneasiness. What seemed to be a bipolar change of attitudes from Akiyama only arose confusion from Otonashi, as he looked down on her with no understanding. The vagueness from her was out of a manga or anime. No one was ever straight forward with their thoughts or feelings, and it only seemed like it would be a plot device to keep the reader in suspension.

"Otonashi-san, we put our trust in you for a second, and you led us out of an eternal hell."

"I'm asking you if we can put our full trust in you again. This route you're taking us on...It's too good to be true and carries risk on all of us."

"...What do you mean?" He could only utter the most basic question out to her.

"Yuri told me about an operation. She dubs it the final one, and you're the sole reason why she's doing it."

"Did she say that?"

"No, but it's pretty fucking obvious who caused her to start it. For some reason, she can't seem to get through her thick mind for how long we've been dealing with these guys. Look at your watch. Check what time it is."

Otonashi took his hand off the grip of his firearm and used his other eye that wasn't looking through the night vision goggle. He brought the watch up close to his face, careful to avoid Akiyama's, to discover that only three minutes have passed.

"You're smart. I know that much. Can you make a deduction on why such a small amount of time passed? I can give you a minute if you'd like."

...

"Never mind then. That look on your face tells me you already know, and it hasn't even been ten seconds!"

The Yakuza's black sedans passed by once again at high speed, leaving from where they came from. Simultaneously, Akiyama let go of Otonashi's collar.

"Was there a point on putting on the nice girl act then?" Otonashi asked quietly.

"To show you how serious I am about what's at stake. You're still pretty cute, though, so I found being close to you to be quite the rollercoaster of emotions for me."

The image of an all-perfect team was shattered, and Otonashi was left questioning everything he's experienced thus far. The true intentions of the people around him were not known, and he felt that the antagonist of this story was nobody but him. He knew exactly why she seemed upset, though, with barely anyone around, there wasn't anyone to support her. The situation begs to ask if Akiyama was acting on her own accord, but it was clear she did it out of concern.

"Is that a lie, Akiyama?"

"Yeah. It is."


End file.
